


AU - Ghoul

by Aria6



Series: A Coyote's Stories [18]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-13
Updated: 2015-02-12
Packaged: 2018-03-12 03:32:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 27,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3341981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aria6/pseuds/Aria6
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Author's Note: I got inspired for this after seeing a Tokyo Ghoul AMV. Although I'm going with a slightly different take on things…</p>
    </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note: I got inspired for this after seeing a Tokyo Ghoul AMV. Although I'm going with a slightly different take on things…

"Shit." Shunsui cursed to himself as he tried to make his way through the smoke and dust without giving away his position.

Everything that could go wrong, had gone wrong. This particular area was a hotbed for religious extremism and there had been peaceful protests against recent edicts for days. That was fine, but everything had become distinctly not peaceful tonight. The explosions that had utterly destroyed a courthouse had been followed by insurgents, armed with guns and crude explosives. Now they were trying to take care of the problem and it wasn't going well.

Shunsui almost passed the young man by. He was trapped beneath a large piece of stone. But the pale hand sticking out from beneath the fallen masonry grabbed his ankle in a shockingly strong grip. Looking down, he paled as he realized what he was seeing. How could anyone be alive under such a weight?

"I'll get you out." He said and the grip on his wrist relaxed. How was he to do that, though? Slinging his gun over his back he quickly found a metal pole he could use as a lever. What followed was an incredible struggle. But he finally managed to push the rock up and the man beneath crawled out with a shocking but welcome agility. "Are you alright?" He asked as he let the stone fall back down, kneeling beside the man. After his amazing escape he had collapsed, his head down.

"I… am fine." The stricken man said, breathing heavily. Shunsui frowned as he saw the dust coated chestnut hair. Then he pushed himself up, taking a sitting position. Shunsui looked into his face, seeing a rather attractive young man with a spade beard and light grey eyes.

"You must need an ambulance." The weight of that stone… The man shook his head. Shunsui reached out to touch his mouth, check his breathing, then pulled back in surprise at the pain. "…?" Looking down he saw a droplet of blood on his thumb. He'd cut himself on… the man's teeth? Looking up he saw the stranger was looking at him with an odd look on his face. He opened his mouth to say something –

And was cut short as the man suddenly lunged at him, knocking him to the ground. Shunsui watched in horror as bullets impacted the body above him and… what?

The zing of ricochets made him fear for his life, despite his position on the ground. But then the man above him growled, and great tentacles of red suddenly slashed out. Shunsui turned his head to see them impact the shooters, biting deep into one chest and, for the other, through his head. Shunsui had to hold back a retch as the tentacles tore the men apart. Blood and guts and brains spilled on the ground as the two insurgents collapsed in a pool of blood.

"Hey Starrk!" They both looked up and Shunsui swallowed as he saw a little girl swinging down from the ruined second floor. She was using tentacles, sky blue instead of red, to help her down. She scowled at him and Shunsui reached over his shoulder for his gun, knowing he would be too slow even as a blue tentacle arrowed towards him –

And was stopped dead on a red one.

"Oi! Starrk! What gives? He saw you! Saw us!" The little girl protested and Shunsui looked up at his savior. The man looked down at him and his eyes were black with red irises. They looked terrifyingly inhuman.

"I know. But he saved my life." She looked at him in disbelief and he saw that her eyes were black with sky blue irises. It seemed the color between the tentacles and eyes matched… Shunsui also vaguely noted that her hair was light green, an interesting oddity.

"Shunsui!" That voice made him lurch to his feet, feeling a moment of fear. It was his best friend, Juushiro. Would these creatures…? But as Juushiro entered the building he felt them move. Looking up, he saw the two of them pulling themselves up the second floor, using their tentacles with consummate skill. They were completely gone by the time his friend reached him.

"What was that?" He questioned and Shunsui tried to think of what to say. "I saw a flash of blue and red." He hadn't seen much, then. Likely that was why they'd let him live.

"I'll… tell you later." Right now, they had bigger problems than a pair of monsters who had already vanished. Men with guns came first. But Shunsui would remember and report to his superiors.

Strange things existed in the world and they needed to be taken care of.

Shunsui frowned at the nurse who was checking him over. The man was taking his duty very seriously, inspecting every inch of his body. Shunsui grimaced as the man checked the underside of his penis. He was wearing rubber gloves, thankfully, but still…

"I'm sorry. I know it would make no sense to have a problem there, but I have to check everything." He said apologetically and Shunsui frowned at him.

"Can you tell me why?" This really was getting strange. The man shook his head.

"No, sorry. But I imagine you'll be told soon." He said before stripping off his gloves. "You can put your clothes back on." He said and Shunsui gratefully put on his clothing. Then he left the room to rejoin Juushiro.

Soon he and Juushiro were in an interrogation room with their superior, an old man named Yamamoto, and a complete stranger to them. He had blonde hair and liked to wear a strange, white and green striped hat. He turned an inquiring look on the medics following them.

"Only a few minor scrapes. Absolutely no indication of bites." His medic reported and Shunsui blinked, his mind flashing back to how he'd nicked his thumb on the man's teeth. He didn't say anything, though. It was an incredibly tiny wound, anyway. The second medic made his report.

"The same, except for a gash on his shoulder. But there's absolutely no residue in the wound and it's consistent with his story of catching it on a piece of broken rebar." He reported and Yamamoto nodded.

"Good. Shunsui, Juushiro, please have a seat." They both took their places as the medics left. "Let me introduce you to Urahara Kisuke. He will be explaining what you have witnessed." He said and the man beside him smiled at them cheerfully as Yamamoto left the room. He had important duties. They both looked at Urahara expectantly.

"Indeed! Have the two of you heard of ghouls?" He asked and Shunsui stared. Ghouls?

"I… I think I read about them in history class. I thought they were extinct?" Juushiro said, which summed up his own thoughts quite well. The man across from them shook his head.

"We encourage people to think that because it's less alarming but no, they are far from extinct. In particularly war torn areas, they are still quite prevalent." He said and Shunsui swallowed. "Sometimes they're even used as warriors! As you observed, they're quite immune to most normal weapons. And unlike most forms of undead, they function perfectly well in daylight. They also look quite normal when they're not in feeding mode. But that's neither here nor there… I have some pictures for you. Can you find the one that resembles the ghoul you met?" Urahara pulled out a very thin folder and spread out several pictures. Several were photographs but others were artists' renditions. They were all of men, although not all of them had dark hair. However, one immediately caught his eye.

"This one." Shunsui unerringly went for one of the artist's renditions. They'd captured the man perfectly, with his goatee and his handsome face. Even the vaguely sad air he seemed to carry about himself. Urahara took the picture and flipped it over before reading what was written there.

"The Thief. Ah, that's good." He murmured, almost relieved? "We can assign this a relatively low priority." He said and Shunsui frowned as Juushiro stared.

"A ghoul, low priority?" He didn't understand that. They ate people, it was what they did to survive. Urahara smiled at him cheerfully.

"How much do you know about ghouls?" He asked and Shunsui hesitated. He honestly didn't know much. It was Juushiro who answered.

"They're a form of undead and they survive by cannibalizing the bodies of the living." He said and Urahara made a small humming sound before shaking his head.

"That's not entirely true. They're actually scavengers with a preference for carrion." He said and Shunsui frowned at the thought. "At least, some of them are. Some seem to have a taste for flesh blood, either acquired or out of necessity. But most will take from corpses if they can. The Thief is a rather extreme version of that. We call him that because he will steal from funeral homes and crematoriums, getting to the bodies before they are embalmed or incinerated. He's even stolen from police morgues! He's really quite masterful at it. Often the places he steals from are completely unaware of the thefts."

"Eh? How could they be?" Shunsui asked, taken aback. If corpses vanished he would expect someone to notice! Urahara gave him a quick smile.

"Ghouls prefer organ meats although if given time, they'll consume the whole body. The Thief takes organs in particular. Liver and kidneys in particular are his favorites. He tidies up after himself… sometimes his thefts were only noticed because his version of autopsy sutures was neater than the real thing." He explained and Shunsui swallowed, feeling rather sick. "There have only been a few murders attributed to him and in every case, he stumbled on a crime in progress or was attacked. For a ghoul, he is extremely non-violent. We still try to catch him, of course, but he's very low priority compared to some of the others." Mildly curious, Shunsui carefully lifted up one of the photographs. 'The Gourmet'? "The child you saw with him, though. That's interesting, he's never been documented with a companion. Let me…" He swept up the photographs and pictures before pulling out a second folder. This one only contained three pictures. "Was she any of these?" Shunsui studied them carefully before shaking his head.

"No." He said. He was dead certain that the girl he'd seen was not one of the pictures in front of him. Strangely enough, that made Urahara happy.

"A new ghoul! But you said the color was sky blue? Intriguing. Here…" He pulled out a pad of paper. "Did you see her at all?" He asked Juushiro and he nodded.

"I saw her back a bit." He said, to Shunsui's surprise. He hadn't thought his friend had seen even that much. Soon Urahara was questioning them and sketching the results. Shunsui wasn't too surprised to find that the other was an accomplished sketch artist. Soon they had a serviceable rendition of the young girl.

"I wonder where The Thief found her? Turning a young child wouldn't be like him." Urahara murmured, looking at the sketch. "Although it could have been by accident I suppose. Ghouls can sometimes lose control in the presence of blood."

"Ghouls are created through bites, aren't they?" Shunsui said, rubbing his thumb absently. Urahara nodded.

"Yes. It rarely happens by accident, though. Someone who's bitten by a ghoul with intent to feed rarely survives… The change takes about two days. Hm… he might have just happened across her. Taking in a young ghoul, abandoned by his or her maker, would be like him." Urahara speculated and Shunsui nodded as Juushiro stared at the picture, clearly disturbed by the information. "Oh, thank you!" One of the medics had arrived with a box of donuts. "Please have one."

"No thank you. I'm not really hungry." Juushiro tried to decline but Urahara shook his head.

"I'm afraid I must insist." He said and they both stared at him. He smiled at them with a cheerfulness that suddenly struck Shunsui as a bit dangerous. "A final test. Ghouls can't eat normal food. It tastes foul to them and causes severe nausea if they happen to swallow it. If either of you were turning, you would already be showing the signs. So please, have a donut!"

"…Ah." Shunsui swallowed before selecting a crueller. He bit into it and was immensely relieved to find that it tasted like a normal donut, sweet and delicious. Juushiro frowned before picking out a donut with brightly colored sprinkles and taking a bite. Urahara watched them swallow and they could both see him relax.

"I'm very glad to see that. Dealing with victims of ghoul attacks… it's the least pleasant aspect of my job." He said and Shunsui could imagine it. What did they do with the poor people? Put them down as humanely as possible? Quite likely. "Well, that's all I need. You should both return to your duties. And please, don't worry anyone with this information. Ghouls really are extremely rare."

"Of course not." Juushiro said. They both knew how to keep a secret. Shunsui nodded. Although if they told this secret, many people would likely believe them. After all, vampires were far from extinct. Oddly, they were far more common than ghouls, from what he'd just learned. But they could feed without killing. Shunsui supposed that feeding from corpses posed unique challenges in an era where embalming was common.

Then they left the room and he thought no more about it. The test with the donut had reassured him. The little mark on his thumb had been too small to affect him.

He would be just fine.

"D-Damn." Shunsui bent over his toilet, breathing heavily as he looked at the mess he'd just heaved up.

It was four days after he'd met the ghoul. Four days since he'd given himself the slightest cut on one of the bastard's fangs. And now he'd made his favorite breakfast, pork and potato hash with eggs. Usually, he loved it.

Today it hadn't smelled right. And when he'd tried it, it had tasted… off. Almost slimy. He'd forced himself to swallow it anyway and immediately needed to run for the bathroom as his stomach rebelled. Breathing heavily, he shook his head.

"The pork must have been bad." He told himself. "Or the eggs. I'll have some milk." Yes. He would do that. Going back to the kitchen he pulled out the milk container and tried to drink from the carton –

And milk splattered across the floor as he dropped it, choking and sputtering. It tasted worse than the pork, much worse! He'd never tried raw sewage in his life, but if it had a taste he was sure it would be that. Gasping, he bent over, his eyes wide.

"No. No!" Frantic now, he began trying things in his pantry. Pretzels made him want to vomit. He couldn't even swallow them. Cookies were every bit as bad. Dates? Disgusting. Working frantically, he opened a tinned ham. Strangely, that only tasted off, like the hash. He could swallow it but when he did he had to run for the bathroom again. Soon he was looking at the mess in his toilet, panting and sick. "No…" He whispered, not wanting to face the truth. But he knew. It had just taken longer than it should have, because of the small wound. But it was happening. "What in hell do I do?" Pushing himself up he looked at the mirror –

And started violently before turning around. A rag covered hand slapped over his mouth and Shunsui barely had time to register black and red eyes and the strange, sickly sweet smell from the cloth over his mouth and nose. Shunsui knew it wasn't chloroform – that was largely a fictional device – but whatever it was went straight to his head. He only managed to grip the man's wrist before the room spun and twisted around him, like a kaleidoscope of color.

Then the color drained away into darkness.

Kyoraku Shunsui woke up to the slow, steady drip of water and a wonderful, appetizing smell.

Wrinkling his nose, he wondered what that scent could be. It was so strange. Gamey yet intensely attractive, it made his mouth water. Then he recalled everything that had happened and his eyes shot open.

He was in a nasty excuse for a room. The walls were dull concrete, cracked and crazed with moisture. Little bits of water dripped from the ceiling, caught in several plastic pails that had been set out. The mattress he was lying on was dirty, stained from the bodies that had lain on it. There was a warm comforter over him that fell down as he sat up, looking around.

The scent was coming from a plate nearby. Shunsui swallowed hard as he saw the organs sitting on it. They were old and cracked, dark from exposure to the air. Any human eating them would be asking for food poisoning, but not a ghoul. Shunsui panted softly, wanting them desperately. He could feel the drool gathering at the edges of his mouth. God, he was so hungry! Whimpering he curled up, trying to ignore that tempting platter. He wouldn't do it. He wouldn't…

"You must eat." A calm voice said and he lifted his head, still panting. He saw the ghoul, the Thief, standing in the doorway. His eyes were grey and human now, calm and slightly sad. "Denying your need will only bring you pain."

"I can't." He rasped out. He knew it was irrational but Shunsui couldn't shake the feeling that when he took that first bite of flesh, he would be sealing his fate. There would be no going back. Grey eyes flickered and the man walked over to the plate. Shunsui swallowed back his drool and had to fight back a desire to attack, drive the other man away from the food. No, not food! That wasn't food, it was…

"You must eat." He repeated, picking up a piece and offering it to him. Shunsui's breath caught as horror and desire warred within him. "Starvation is the worst torment any ghoul can endure. Truly, you must eat."

"No." He whispered and the man in front of him sighed.

"Lilinette." He said and Shunsui yelped as sky blue tentacles suddenly went around him, pinning his arms behind him. He'd just opened his mouth to protest when that piece of flesh was shoved deep into his mouth.

…! Shunsui's eyes went wide as the taste hit him. It was marvelous, delicious, everything he needed and wanted… he chewed without thinking, releasing more of the heavenly juices locked within. Caught up in utter bliss, he swallowed, nearly choking on the too large mouthful. The other ghoul gave him no time to think about what he'd just done. Another piece of meat was pressed against his lips and this time he took it eagerly, too caught up by his urgent hunger to even care what was going down his throat.

By the time he came up for air, the plate was empty and the man in front of him was smiling, faintly. The tentacles holding him released him but Shunsui hardly noticed, just staring at the plate and feeling sick.

"This can't be happening." He whispered, feeling the horror overwhelming him. There was a sigh and he felt the mattress give as the man seated himself beside him.

"I'm very sorry. I didn't want this and I know you didn't, but we have to make the best of it." The ghoul said and Shunsui looked at him, seeing compassion in those calm grey eyes. Then a loud, strident voice spoke.

"Yeah! And you just ate all the good bits. Stop being such a soppy mess!" The little girl stomped into view and he looked at her, really seeing her for the first time. She was young, no more than twelve and wearing a baggy shirt and jeans. Her boots were heavy, looking like they would hurt quite a bit if she chose to kick. "Jeez. Do we really have to take this guy, Starrk?"

"Lilinette. He saved my life. It would be incredibly poor recompense to allow him to die." The man admonished her and she scoffed. Shunsui frowned as he thought of something.

"Those… tentacle things of yours. Why couldn't you save yourself?" He asked. Were they not strong enough? The man gave him a small smile.

"They can only be manifested from my back." He explained. "And given the way that stone was pinning me, I was unable to force them out. And ghouls do need to breathe." He said, anticipating Shunsui's next question. "That piece of rubble was crushing my lungs. Lilinette might not have reached me in time. By the way, I am Coyote Starrk."

"I'm Lilinette Gingerbuck." The girl butted in. Shunsui nodded before introducing himself.

"Kyoraku Shunsui." He offered and the other man nodded. "How did you know I would turn?" He'd thought for sure he was safe. The other ghoul shrugged.

"I didn't. I've never heard of someone changing from such a small wound. At first, I thought you would be spared… but I kept a watch over you just in case. In the night, I caught your scent changing. Ghouls can scent each other quite easily and then I knew." He said quietly and Shunsui sighed, putting a hand over his face. "It just took longer than usual. Which is good, if the change had been normal your confederates would have put you down, or worse."

"Worse?" Shunsui asked, distracted from his own woe. "What do you mean?" He questioned and the ghoul, Starrk, gave him a small, brittle smile.

"That one man, the one who likes to wear the odd hat. I know him and know some of the things he does. He likes to experiment on us, see what we can endure and what we can do. I rescued a ghoul, once, that he'd held captive. Fortunately I don't think he realized it was me… but I would never choose to be at his mercy. He has none." Starrk said and Shunsui wondered if that was true. Would Urahara have used him for experiments? Suddenly he wondered. Although…

"I don't know if I can do this. Eating other people…" Even if they were already dead it was just hideously wrong. How could he live like this? There was a short pause before the other man spoke.

"I probably should not tell you this, but you do not always have to eat humans." He said and Shunsui looked at him, surprised. He seemed uncomfortable? "Let me tell you the history of ghoul kind. You should know this, now."

"Ghouls and humanity have always existed together." Starrk began to explain as Lilinette leaned against a wall, looking bored. "In times when humans lived in primitive tribes, ghouls were often considered trusted protectors. The bodies of the honored dead were offered up to them as sacrifices. Enemies, as well, were fed to the ghouls. In lean times, such tribes would feed their ghouls the organs of pigs."

"Pigs? That's possible?" Shunsui felt a sudden hope. Could he survive on something other than humans? Starrk paused for a moment before shrugging.

"Yes. And not just pigs. An African ghoul told me that monkeys and apes will do as well. Another ghoul told me that guinea pigs will work, in a pinch. However, there is a downside. A ghoul who tries to exist on purely animal sources will gradually begin to waste away." Starrk said and Shunsui swallowed at the thought. "They will lose their supernatural attributes and gradually begin to lose muscle mass. It is a form of slow starvation. If you attempt it too long, you will lose your mind and attack humans in an effort to feed." He said warningly and Shunsui closed his eyes before nodding. Somehow, that didn't surprise him. "However, not even all ghouls know this and we have successfully kept it from humans."

"Yeah, it's really useful when humans are looking for us, ya know? Switch to the pet store diet for a while." Lilinette said with relish and Starrk sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Trips 'em up every time!"

"Yes. Anyway, as I was saying… ghouls were revered and trusted. Then men began to cultivate grains and build cities, and things changed." Starrk took up the story again as Shunsui listened. "Some cities and cultures revered us, like vampires, but in most we became pests. Humans feared us and we began hiding our nature. However, in many ways, it was a very good time to be a ghoul. So many people in such small areas… disease was rampant. Bodies were everywhere, just waiting to be harvested. And ghouls are immune to disease. It was all so easy… the only real danger was humans. Often they would accuse us of spreading disease. False, of course, but the nature of our eating habits makes it understandable. Burning us alive was their preferred method of putting us to death. I lost a friend that way…" Starrk sounded so grief stricken for a moment. But Shunsui's eyes widened as he realized something else.

"Wait, how old are you?" Were ghouls like vampires? Did they never age? There was a pause before the man gave him a small smile.

"Old enough that I saw my people abandon hunting and gathering for sowing seeds." He said and Shunsui swallowed. "They say agriculture began ten thousand years ago. So… older than that. How much older, I cannot say."

"…And you?" He said to the girl, who rolled her eyes.

"I'm eighteen! Geez." She complained and he couldn't help but smile. At least he was older than one person in the room. "Oi, don't think you can treat me like a kid, old geezer!"

"Lilinette." Starrk's protest was half-hearted at most. "Mmm… eventually, humans came up with embalming. They were disgusted at our feeding practices and wanted to prevent us from desecrating their dead. It worked, all too well. Most ghouls turned to murder instead… I despise killing, even when it is necessary." The ghoul sounded drained and Shunsui nodded, remembering what Urahara had said about him.

"I know. He said that about you… did you change her? Or did you adopt her?" He asked, gesturing to Lilinette. "He also said it wouldn't be like you to change a young girl, but it would be like you to take one in." He said as Starrk looked at him. The ghoul sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Ah, that man knows me all too well… no, she's not mine. Her color alone can tell you that. My color is red… any ghoul I create will match that or have some derivative." He said and Lilinette suddenly interrupted.

"You're pink! Bright pink! I think you must be gay." She said with glee and Shunsui choked as Starrk gave her a glower.

"Pink?!" Surely not… but Starrk sighed before nodding.

"I'm afraid so. When I've taught you to bring out your kenserie you'll be able to see for yourself." He said and Shunsui noted the term. Was that what he called the tentacles? "Well, that brings me to the end. Except that now that we have taken you, we must leave. No doubt they will intensify their search for me when they think about the implications."

"Eh? Implications?" Shunsui said, distracted, and Starrk gave him a brittle smile. Lilinette snorted.

"He's got three mouths to feed! Ya think he's gonna manage that just by stealing?" She asked and Shunsui's breath caught in his throat. "Maybe he can cuz he's crazy but it's gonna be tough. They're not going to think so, that's for sure!"

"And they will probably be right. We'll have to see." Starrk said wearily before pushing himself to his feet. "Maybe I can step up my thefts, and take a few whole bodies. Although that's terribly obvious… but we need to leave for a new hunting ground. I already have the train tickets and things are running again… come." With nothing else to do, Shunsui followed the man who had changed his life, forever.

He didn't want to be a ghoul but unfortunately, it seemed it wasn't a choice.


	2. Chapter 2

Shunsui sat in the train and gazed out the window, watching the scenery going past.

Being a ghoul was very different from being human. His change had only started the night before Starrk picked him up, so it hadn't gotten very far. Now it was complete, and he could truly see and feel the differences.

His senses were enhanced. His daytime vision was normal but his nighttime vision was so good, he might as well have been standing in broad daylight. His sense of smell was extremely keen. Shunsui fancied this was how a dog felt… right now he could name the various things the other people in the car had eaten for breakfast, if he cared to. Starrk was teaching him to use that but mostly, it would have to come with time. His sense of taste was radically different – everything except flesh tasted foul – and his sense of hearing was greatly enhanced. He was still learning to filter that out. Being able to hear conversations five cars away was annoying. The only thing the same was his sense of touch.

His body was also different. Urahara could likely have explained, but Shunsui only knew he couldn't be harmed by most conventional weapons. Regular bullets would bounce off, knives would break. Although Starrk had mentioned there were limits to that –

Shunsui looked up with a frown as he felt the train tremble? Starrk was sitting across from him, Lilinette sleeping with her head on his shoulder. Starrk looked up sharply from his book before glancing behind him. Shunsui extended his senses and smelled oil, metal, heat… something acrid…

"Shit." Starrk said briefly as he snapped his book shut. "I think we – " That was as far as he got before the world dissolved in chaos.

The train tilted alarmingly as everyone screamed. There was the shrieking of tortured metal before the whole thing went over. A red tentacle went around him as blue ones flew around, an instinctive reaction from a shocked and confused Lilinette. None of them hurt the other passengers… which didn't help them at all as the train violently derailed, sending bodies flying and shards of metal through the air like pieces of shrapnel. Shunsui accidentally sent out a single questing tentacle of bright pink in an effort to save himself. But Starrk did most of it, using his tentacles to break their fall.

And then it was over. Gravity did its job and the wreckage of the passenger train skid to a halt. The three of them also halted, tentacles dissipating as they glanced around. There were a few screams and the sounds of people crying, but what they mostly saw were torn, bloody bodies. Shunsui was vaguely aware of hunger, in the back of his mind, but he was mostly in shock. What had just…?

"…Wow. I totally wasn't expecting that." Lilinette said after a moment and Starrk glanced around with a frown.

"We were very, very lucky." He said and Shunsui blinked at him. He wouldn't have called their supernatural bodies 'luck'. Lilinette beat him to it.

"Whaddaya mean? We're awesome!" She said and Starrk sighed before pointing down the line of ruined cars. They were twisted together but Shunsui winced as he saw what the man was pointing at.

"Lilinette, we are ghouls, not immortal or indestructible. And we are not in any way fireproof. I prefer not to become barbecue." Starrk said firmly as they all looked at the inferno that had taken over several of the ruined train cars. Lilinette looked a bit taken aback.

"Oh. Um, right." She said, but quickly bounced back. "Hey! Was that an accident or did someone do that on purpose? Whaddaya think Starrk?" She asked and he shrugged helplessly.

"I wouldn't know. Shunsui?" He said and he blinked. It was the first time the ghoul had really asked for his opinion. Although they hadn't been together long and Starrk was undoubtedly a master at surviving as a flesh eating monster. However, he was a former member of the Guard. Looking over the remains, he came to a disagreeable conclusion.

"I think it was deliberate. We should probably get out of here." He said after a moment. "There will be military forces arriving soon and it's possible that whoever caused the derailment might be waiting." Shunsui could see no reason why they would want to get involved in that. Starrk nodded, pausing to examine one of the more intact bodies lying on the ground. He slid his arms beneath it, hefting up the body, which was that of a middle aged man. "What are you…?" He asked and Starrk glanced at him.

"Provisions for the trip. It will take us much longer, now." He said regretfully and Shunsui winced at the thought. "You should both take bodies as well." He said and Shunsui took a deep breath.

"Right." It was only practical. He knew that. And these people were dead. Swallowing back his disgust, he picked up the body of a woman, trying to ignore the still warm blood trickling over his hands. Lilinette found something easier for her to carry… the body of a child. Then they set off, generally following the train track but staying far enough away to feel safe.

"You know what the worst part of this is?" Starrk said as they walked and they both glanced at him. "We lost all our bags. My books are gone."

"Oh man, my clothes! You gotta steal me more clothes Starrk!" Lilinette demanded and her protector smiled at her fondly. "Hey, why are people blowing up trains anyway? That's awfully rude, ain't it? And does this mean there's going to be a war?" She asked with rather too much enthusiasm at the prospect.

"I hope not." Starrk was gazing away, his expression introspective. "So many lives lost… and while it would have certain advantages for us, the disadvantages might outweigh it."

"Whaddaya mean? You told me wars are great! Lots of bodies lying around." Lilinette said and Shunsui had to remind himself that she was just a child, and had been feeding on humans since she was twelve. Some callousness was to be expected. Starrk frowned at her.

"I was speaking historically. Modern wars pose special problems. How many times do I have to tell you that we are not invulnerable? True, those light guns the soldiers use don't work on us, but they have far more than that! Let's see… the things that will work on us include incendiaries, rockets, mortars, tanks, heavy caliber weapons, elephant guns – "

"Okay! Okay! I get it! Geez, stop being so pedantic, it's annoying." She complained as Shunsui smiled. Starrk's list, though, made him curious.

"So ghouls can be harmed by heavy weaponry?" He asked and Starrk nodded.

"Yes. In ancient times, we could only be harmed by magic and other supernaturals. Now, things are different. The turning point really came when humans began to use cannons. A shot from a cannonball… a ghoul can survive, but it is a highly unpleasant experience. The weight of the hit makes a difference. That is why most bullets do not harm us." He explained and Shunsui nodded thoughtfully. "And any weapon with a fire component is particularly effective."

"And sometimes we get trapped under fallen buildings." Lilinette said cheerfully, making her larger companion look pained. "An' have our lungs crushed 'till we suffocate –"

"Thank you, Lilinette." Starrk actually sounded amused by the reminder. "You are such a cruel child sometimes." She grinned at him cheekily.

"You love it, you know it." She teased him and he smiled, shaking his head. "So hey, what is all this crap going on anyway? I never read the news, it's all boring or depressing." She said, which struck Shunsui as rather accurate. Starrk frowned before glancing at him.

"Shunsui? As a member of the Guard, you likely have a better understanding of it than I do." He said and Shunsui quirked an eyebrow at him. He had a distinct feeling that Starrk was just tired of talking. But with two protégé's under his wing, the other man was doing quite a bit of explaining. It could be his turn and he did know about this subject.

"Well, the recent chaos is over the tithe edicts." He said slowly. He was not a religious man so it didn't impact him much but he could see why the religious minorities were upset. "You see, tithe is regulated through the state. It's a flat ten percent for the state church." He knew that some countries believed in a separation of church and state, but theirs did not. "Until now, though, religious minorities could opt to have the state collected tithe sent to the church of their choice. However… just recently a surcharge is being imposed to 'support the social programs' of the state church." He couldn't help but sound a bit sarcastic. It was true that the state church did many good things but he'd seen just as much from completely independent charities. "Because of the way the edict is worded, there's some confusion about whether the extra charge will take additional money from the payees or if it will come out of the money going to the minority churches. So everyone is up in arms over it."

"Yeah, I know. Everyone's calling it the start of a new religious persecution and ya know, they've got a point. You don't belong to the church you get treated like dirt around here. People say they get asked about it when they're trying to get a job!" She said and Shunsui winced to himself. He knew some countries had laws against questions like that. Unfortunately, this was not one of them. "I mean, no one can prove people are discriminating but they think they are, ya know?"

"Sometimes the discrimination goes the other way as well, but that's more dangerous." Shunsui said softly, remembering an incident where a minority owned business was put to the torch by an angry mob. Likely they had been trying to recruit employees from within their own religion but it seemed there was a bit of a double standard. "I know this country has many problems. But… it was the will of the people." They were a democratic government. "I'm not certain why it's getting so much worse lately."

"Demographics." Starrk sounded tired and they both glanced at him. "The majority state religion is becoming less and less strong. Too many immigrants, too many converts to other ways. And the politicians also see their base of power slowly slipping away. They are attempting economic encouragement to force people to conform."

"That may be part of it." Shunsui agreed. The ghoul definitely had a point. "I do wonder if some of our neighbors are sticking their fingers in, though." He was sure they would not be above it. "Our neighbors directly to the West, in particular, would like to snip off a piece of territory." Ethnically speaking, it probably should belong to them. That wouldn't make the situation any better if they tried to take it, though. Shunsui rubbed his head. Thinking about politics made his head hurt. He'd always known he had to understand it if he wanted to advance in the Guard, but he'd never liked it.

"Wouldn't the Security Council do something if they tried?" Lilinette asked and Shunsui had to smile. That was a very naïve question.

"The Security Council is an international body. That means they're toothless and paralyzed." He explained as the young ghoul frowned. "Our neighbors have far too much influence there. If they do anything, it will be a symbolic gesture."

"Like a ban against the export of feathered masks." Starrk added and Lilinette laughed. Shunsui smiled, amused. That was a joke but it did capture the situation.

The rest of the day was spent with walking and talking. They moved at a brisk but human pace. The ghouls could move much, much faster with their tentacles to help but that used up their energy and made it necessary to feed more. And despite his few tentative moves in that direction, Shunsui couldn't manifest his tentacles reliably yet. Starrk called them kenserie, but Lilinette actually called them tentacles as well, so he'd decided to stay with that.

None of them were actually hungry so the bodies were set aside as they made camp for the night. Ghouls did not need to eat on a human schedule, thankfully. Organ meats were the most concentrated food and took them the furthest, but an entire body would likely last them a month and a half, perhaps two.

"Needs aging for sure." Lilinette said as she licked the dried blood off her hands. Shunsui couldn't help but wince. It was still so hard, hearing these two refer to human bodies as… food. "I don't understand how some people can eat 'em fresh. It tastes all wrong, don't it?"

"I think so. I remember… when I was still revered, the people of my tribe had special rituals for me." Starrk mused, remembering the past. Shunsui had noticed he did that frequently. But then, he had a lot of past to remember. "They would open the body and salt the organs before packing them with certain herbs. It was a very nice taste."

"Herbs?" Shunsui asked, curious. "You could eat that?" He would have thought that would harm the ghoul. Starrk smiled as he explained.

"They would take rods and leaves, and bruise them, letting the oils infuse the flesh. Then they were removed before the organs were given to me. It imparted a flavor but seemed to cause me no harm." He said and Shunsui blinked at the thought. Ghoul gourmet cuisine? "I've done it myself a few times, when a whole, fresh body has come into my possession. It brings me back."

"Ah." Shunsui decided he didn't really want to know more about that. "Were you going to teach me how to use my tentacles?" He asked. They were the primary weapon and defense of any ghoul. Mastering them was critical. Starrk nodded.

"I am afraid this lesson will not be pleasant." He warned and Shunsui frowned, wondering what that meant.

He found out. Starrk took him aside and began attacking him. Shunsui knew the other ghoul wouldn't kill him, but it was hard to remember as he began using his tentacles in a threatening manner. But Shunsui was an expert in hand to hand combat. He was holding his own… Starrk finally stepped back, shaking his head.

"This is troublesome. You are too well trained." He said as Shunsui tried to catch his breath. "You remember how you extended a kenserie in panic on the train? That is what I am trying to inspire you to do. It is not working."

"It worked great on me. But then I was a little girl and he totally freaked me out." Lilinette put in and Starrk smiled at her. Shunsui frowned, reaching up to scratch his hair. It was starting to grow out. He'd kept it shoulder length for the Guard but since he was no longer a member – would this count as going AWOL or was he technically deceased? – he was thinking of growing it out.

"How are we to do this, then?" He asked and Starrk sighed, gesturing for him to return to the fire.

"The more difficult way. I will teach you to meditate and gradually, gain control of your inner energy. Normally I would do that after the first, instinctive grasp of the kenserie. Hopefully you will not need them anytime soon." Starrk paused before giving Lilinette a severe look. "I expect you to look after him." He said firmly and Shunsui choked a little at the thought. The younger ghoul rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll help out with pinky. Geez Starrk." She complained mildly and Shunsui hoped that wasn't going to be his new nickname. "I'm going to sleep." She said before settling in to do that. Ghouls needed as much sleep as humans, Shunsui had learned.

The next hour or so was spent mastering the art of meditation. Shunsui had never done it before in his life and found he was not really a natural at it. Starrk didn't seem at all discouraged, though, when he called a halt to it.

"You are a warrior. That always poses unique challenges in training. I had precisely the same issue." Starrk said and Shunsui honestly felt a bit relieved. "Although meditation came easily to me. I have always been introspective. Yet, it is nothing to be concerned about. It will come."

"Hmm. Starrk… you mentioned controlling inner energy. Can ghouls use anything but their tentacles?" Shunsui asked. There was a pause and he glanced at the other man. He was frowning and looking into the fire.

"Yes, but it is essentially a kind of magic. Verbal components, and often physical ones, are required. Very few ghouls know this anymore. Lilinette is not yet interested but if you are, I will teach you." He said softly and Shunsui had a feeling he was looking into the past again. "…After you master the kenserie. Nothing is as potent as that." The other ghoul said firmly and he nodded.

"I can imagine." Those tentacles were amazing. They could be soft as silk or hard as steel. They could punch through metal and stone with equal ease. Flesh was nothing before them. And the length on them was unbelievable. They were truly remarkable weapons and tools. "We should probably sleep." He was feeling quite tired. Starrk nodded.

"Yes." Soon they were all deeply asleep, unconcerned about potential enemies. In the wilderness, they would scent any humans and awake long before they could be threatened. And any dangerous animals would scent them and flee.

If humans were the top of the food chain, they were one step beyond.

"Ooogh, finally, civilization! I need a shower." Lilinette complained and Starrk sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"I may have enough money to rent a room. Or perhaps we can find a fast food outlet and use the sink method." He said and she groaned. Shunsui ran a hand over his face, feeling the stubble of his beard. He hadn't worn a beard either, in the Guard. Now it seemed practical. Although…

"Starrk?" That thought brought to mind something insanely peculiar. The other ghoul looked at him and Shunsui eyed his beard. It was as neat as the day they'd left the city. "Have you been shaving?" He was sure the other man hadn't. Starrk looked taken aback as Lilinette blinked and suddenly peered at him.

"HEY! I never noticed but he's RIGHT! How's your beard like that?" She tried to grab him and Starrk side-stepped with a mildly alarmed look. "You should be all stubbly like pinky! How're you so neat?"

"Lilinette! I… might have indulged in some vanity magic a very long time ago. The effects were permanent." He admitted and she looked fascinated. Shunsui felt much the same way. He opened his mouth to ask a question but Lilinette beat him to it.

"So it's like, total manscaping? You never grow a beard? HEY! Can you do that anywhere?! Do you know what women would pay for that? No more leg hair! We could totally open a business!" She said enthusiastically and Shunsui smiled as Starrk face palmed. Just watching these two interact made him feel better about the whole situation.

"No, I… it was an accident, alright? I was drunk and I didn't write down the solution! I've never been able to replicate it." He said, sounding harassed. "I tried it with my – you know, I don't want to discuss this anymore." Shunsui noted, with fascination, that Starrk was blushing.

"Hmm. Naked balls were in fashion at the time?" He murmured and saw the man's shoulders hunch a bit. Lilinette burst into laughter and Shunsui decided they had teased their mentor enough. "Shall we go see how much a room would cost? I would like a bath." He looked over his shirt. Fortunately it was black so the bloodstains didn't show up too badly. The only one who really had problems on that score was Lilinette. She'd been wearing pink and it was badly stained. "Perhaps we should get some clothing first."

So they both hid while Starrk took care of that. It seemed that in addition to being a thief of organs, he was an able shoplifter. Soon he had a new shirt for Lilinette, this one white with a rather amusing picture of a unicorn farting a rainbow. After that, they were able to explore the town.

It really wasn't much. A mid-sized town, it had clearly seen better days. The shopping plaza they had found appeared to be the only one in the place and it was not busy. They found a telephone booth and Starrk went through the yellow pages, looking for something.

"This place has a funeral home. I'm not sure if enough business would be generated to support us long, however." He said quietly after leaving the phone and Shunsui winced at the thought. But anywhere they were considering staying would need to have a food supply. "And we're all quite full at the moment. Depending on how transit is to a larger city, though, I could see about gathering something for the road."

"Nah. We could just steal a car. I bet Shunsui can drive!" Lilinette said happily and Shunsui blinked before giving Starrk a quizzical look. The older ghoul avoided his gaze, looking… embarrassed?

"You can't drive?" He asked and Starrk sighed before shaking his head. Lilinette rolled her eyes.

"Nah, he's too scared." Her amused contempt made her elder wince. "We take the buses and the trains everywhere. But if we can steal a car, hell with that! We can get where we're going an' it'll be cheaper too." She said enthusiastically and Shunsui smiled at the thought. Certainly it would be inconvenient for whoever they stole from, but at this point that was the least of his worries. Eating human flesh made auto theft rather small potatoes. Starrk nodded.

"That might be good. Let's find a place to stay." It wasn't late but they could secure the room, then go exploring the town some more.

That was precisely what they did. They found an extremely cheap, rather uncomfortable hotel on the outskirts of town and quickly made themselves at home in a room. There were two beds and Lilinette immediately claimed one, leaving the other to the men. Starrk tried pointing out that she was quite a bit smaller, but she asserted that as a girl she got her own bed. No one could really argue with that.

After settling in what few possessions they had, they left to explore the town. It was as boring as it appeared. They soon determined that the place survived largely on the train station and an accompanying storage depot. The only real spots of interest in the town were a park and an all-night diner. Unfortunately, the latter wasn't much good to a group of ghouls. They stopped in, though, to get some tea. Ghouls did need to drink, although not as much as humans, and tea was one of the few flavored drinks they could enjoy.

"You have to be careful though. Dried fruit teas can cause a reaction." Starrk said quietly and Shunsui nodded. "Coffee sometimes works but it must be very pure. I'm not fond of it so I don't bother, but if you like it I would suggest getting organic whole beans and grinding them yourself, to minimize the chance of issues."

"I don't like coffee that much." With their vagabond existence, that sounded like a pain. He sipped his tea quietly as they watched the people going by and for a moment, Shunsui felt an intense homesickness. It felt like he should be here with Juushiro, relaxing after a long hard day… ordering something really nice, like those beef dips a couple nearby were enjoying… a hand gently touched his arm and he looked up into compassionate grey eyes.

"If we manage to settle for a time, you might be able to take up a human life again." Starrk said quietly and Shunsui blinked. That was possible? "I sometimes have held down a job, when things were going well and I was not being actively hunted. I have made friends." Then he glanced down at his tea with a small sigh. "Although if you do that, try not to become too attached. We may need to leave at any time." He said softly and Shunsui winced.

"I understand." And he did. Starrk longed for friendship, acceptance, all the things he'd once had and now lacked. He tried to find them but had to abandon them, again and again. "At least you have us, now." He said quietly and saw a genuine smile on the other ghouls face.

"Yes, I do. I wish it hadn't happened to either of you… but I am glad not to be alone." He said softly and Shunsui smiled at him. Their fingers tangled together for a moment and he vaguely noticed someone glaring at them, but didn't care. Lilinette skipped over from where she'd been playing with an arcade game, and if anything the glare from the man in question got worse. Shunsui still didn't care.

Whatever he thought of them it had to be far tamer than the truth of the matter.


	3. Chapter 3

"Lilinette?" Shunsui asked the little girl as they sat on the edge of the roof. "How long do you think Starrk will be?"

"Probably a few more hours. It ain't quick." She said and he nodded, looking up at the setting sun. Right now they were living a diurnal existence, most active in the evening and early morning. Apparently, that was most natural sleep pattern for a ghoul.

They had settled into a large city on the western edge of the country. That meant they were closer to possible trouble but also meant the authorities had far more pressing things to worry about than a thieving ghoul and his accomplices. From what Starrk had said, and Urahara's comments, Shunsui had the feeling that the ancient ghoul had been ghosting under the radar for a very long time.

Right now, Starrk was stealing them some food. Normally he would have taken Lilinette with him, teaching her the art of harvesting organs without a trace. But he didn't want to bring Shunsui. It had only been a few weeks and he still couldn't use his tentacles on command, which was a great liability for a ghoul. And Starrk was reasonably certain there was at least one more ghoul in the city, possibly two. Ghouls only travelled in small groups and did not welcome interlopers, as well as being able to scent them from long distances. Without Lilinette, Shunsui would be hideously vulnerable.

Shunsui sighed, running a hand along his chin as he glanced at the girl. While it was a bit mortifying to be protected by a child, he had to admit that he was glad to have her there. He'd had a feeling, just once, that he was being stalked. It had vanished when he'd caught up to Starrk but the other ghoul had seemed very unhappy, so he didn't think it was his imagination. That was unsettling.

"Lilinette?" He said and she glanced at him. Her eyes were light pink, an odd color and he wondered if they had changed with her transition to a ghoul. "How did you become a ghoul? If you don't mind me asking." He was quite curious about that. All he knew was that Starrk had not been the one to bite her. She sighed, kicking her feet in the air.

"I don't mind talking about it anymore. It was a while ago, I don't even have nightmares anymore. It started with a trip to the movies…" She related the story as Shunsui listened, her quiet voice painting a vivid picture of the past…

She was only a kid, but she was a big enough kid to go to the movies with her friends.

It was a big city but she lived in the good part of town. The mall was super upscale and only a half-hour away, walking. Sure, it would be late walking back but there was like, no crime at all. And the streets were brightly lit and she knew to run away if a stranger tried to grab her. What could go wrong?

Well, she DID try to run away when a stranger tried to grab her. But that didn't do much good when he was grabbing her with bright violet tentacles that she just couldn't outrun. She was crying and trying to scream but then he stuffed one of those things into her mouth and she couldn't make a sound. Just tears running down her face as he lifted her up and looked her over. The look in those horrible eyes… like she was a chocolate bar he was going to eat up.

"Such a tender little morsel…" He was licking her then, licking her and she was so terrified! He looked almost like a normal guy except for the eyes… black and violet, they were so alien, like something out of X-files. Then he opened his mouth wide and she tried to scream again as he BIT her. It hurt so much! There was blood all over his face and dripping over her and she was terrified but she couldn't get away – he just kept biting her and biting her and she was starting to feel awfully weak and she just knew she was going to die –

Then there was a flash of red. She blinked as blood suddenly spilled onto her and it wasn't hers? Then there was a scream and the thing over her was fighting something else? She tried to watch but it was pretty hard, her head was spinning and she felt super weak. There was another guy there? And his eyes were like the first but red instead of violet…

Then there was blood and stuff spilling everywhere and she was kind of glad, even though she was sure the red guy was going to kill her. Then he was kneeling down beside her and she blinked as the red and black in his eyes went away. They turned grey and looked human and… sad?

"You poor child." He was touching her and it hurt, even though she could tell he was trying to be careful with her. She whimpered, still sure she was going to die. Why wouldn't the monster eat her? "If only I had found him a bit sooner… ah, little one, I will take care of you." He said before muttering something that sounded really strange. His hands suddenly felt warm where he as touching her and it was sort of nice… she drifted off to the sounded of him murmuring in that weird way and oddly, didn't feel afraid.

She was probably still going to die but he seemed nicer than the other one.

"…So when I woke up Starrk had to convince me he wasn't going to eat me. That took a while. Then he had to convince me that yes, I was really turning into a flesh eating monster and no, I really couldn't go home to my family." Lilinette concluded and Shunsui winced. Such a terrible thing to happen to a young child. "Starrk was hunting that guy because he was queering everything up for him. He'd been living in that town for about a year and didn't want to move, but that guy suddenly shows up and starts killing people all flashy-like. After he picked me up, though, we definitely had to leave. I haven't seen my family since." Lilinette sounded only a bit regretful. "I wrote them a letter just before we left, but that was it. Starrk said anything more would be dangerous."

"He's right." Shunsui said quietly, feeling a pang in his heart. "I wish I could write a letter to Juushiro." But he knew, better than anyone else, how such things could be traced. Perhaps, if he could get a very good computer with the right encryption software, he could send an e-mail. But that would be tricky as well. Lilinette glanced at him curiously.

"I know how you became a ghoul but I don't know much about you. Do you have a family?" She asked and he shook his head.

"No. I lost them when I was ten and had no relatives who would take me, so I went into a group home." He said honestly and Lilinette frowned. "It wasn't too bad. Juushiro was there as well, it was where we met. I sometimes think he's the only reason I graduated. I know he's the only reason I took the exams to join the Guard… I would never have done it myself, but I was intent on following him. Then I found that I enjoyed it." He smiled as he remembered. "We were both doing so well. Yama-jii noticed us and took us under his wing… I was hopeful for a promotion." All of that was gone, now. Really, the rank had never meant that much to him but the proof that he was good at his job… that had meant a great deal. They were both silent for a moment.

"Sorry." She said quietly and he just shook his head. It wasn't her fault. It wasn't even Starrk's fault, not really. It had just been a stupid accident, that he'd touched the dazed ghoul in exactly the wrong way. "Life just sucks sometimes I guess."

"Mmm. Are we technically alive?" He asked, idly curious. She nodded.

"I asked Starrk about that once. He said we definitely are. We have a heartbeat and we bleed. We're sterile, though, in case you were wondering." He hadn't be wondering about that but it was an interesting bit of information. "And if we're turned as kids we keep growing."

"What?" He said, surprised. She nodded. "But you're nineteen… is the growth rate slowed?" That was the only thing that made sense. She smiled at him, pleased.

"Yeah! I've been keeping track and I'm up by about an inch. Starrk thinks I've grown maybe a year since he got me. He says he's SO not looking forward to twenty years of puberty." She rolled her eyes as Shunsui choked at the thought. "He's not sure if he'll end up tossing me in a wood chipper or drowning himself. I think he's being way pessimistic. It won't be THAT bad, will it?"

"Um…" Shunsui could still remember puberty. All those hormones, the way he couldn't get his mind off girls for more than ten minutes, the awkwardness and general feeling that he didn't fit in his own skin… for twenty years? "I think you might be the one suffering." She had no idea what she was in for. Lilinette just shrugged.

"Guess I'll coast by in blissful ignorance then. And when it happens I'll drive you both nuts." She said with unholy enthusiasm and he winced. Then he wondered how much Starrk would hate him if he abandoned the other ghoul to his fate. Twenty years of puberty? Eeek. "Oh oh! Hey pinky, sniff the wind." Ignoring the nickname… would she ever stop that?... he quickly sniffed. It was far off but he could catch the distinctive odor of Starrk. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on it. Starrk's aroma was very different from Lilinette's. The elder ghoul had a depth, a complexity that the younger lacked. For a moment, he just allowed himself to be captured by the scent. It made him think of a woodland forest, deep and earthy. "He smells nice, don't he? It's because he's so old."

"Um? What do I smell like?" He asked, suddenly wondering. Was this why other ghouls would stalk him but seemed to avoid Starrk and even Lilinette? She grimaced slightly.

"You're… really one note. That's normal though. In even a year you'll be a lot deeper. Right now, though, your scent just screams 'I'm brand new! Eat me!'" She said and he blinked before chuckling. "Other ghouls taste great you know."

"Um? No, I didn't know." That was interesting. There were so many things to learn. Lilinette grinned at him cheekily.

"Yeah! Guess how I found that out!" He quirked an eyebrow at her and she happily explained. "My first meal ever was that bastard who attacked me. I wasn't keen on the whole flesh eating monster thing and it still felt really good!"

"I can see that." Lilinette had a vengeful streak and, well, who wouldn't feel vengeful after that? Then there was a soft whistle and they both looked down.

"Meet me inside." Starrk said and they both abandoned the roof, going down the stairs. They were living in an abandoned factory and they had to be careful. It was not structurally sound, but with their tentacles they rarely had problems. Shunsui concentrated hard and managed to extend a single tendril of neon pink. Pausing, he regarded it for a moment with resignation. Why was he so incredibly pink?

"I smell something good!" Lilinette said cheerfully and Starrk smiled, opening the garbage bag he had with him. Shunsui swallowed hard as he caught the tantalizing scent. It looked like the other ghoul had a fairly good haul of organs, too. The sight of them still made him feel sick but he couldn't deny the needs of his body. For a ghoul, hunger truly was a terrible suffering.

"I had a spot of luck. I was checking a graveyard, just to see, and one of the bodies was not embalmed. I scented the decay and took a chance on it." Starrk sounded pleased and Shunsui wondered why the body hadn't been embalmed. But there were a few religions that did not follow the practice. "Hard work putting all the sod back, but it was buried recently enough that no one will know the difference."

"Nice." Lilinette said approvingly and Shunsui nodded as he took his share of the organs. Was that a brain in there? He decided he was leaving that for Starrk. "So you think we're going to be able to go on like this?" She questioned and Starrk paused, a resigned look passing over his face.

"No. Soon, I will have to hunt." He said quietly and Shunsui winced. As distasteful as he found grave robbing, it was infinitely preferable to murder. "The more I hit the mortuaries and other sources, the more likely it is I will be detected."

"Have you tried hospitals?" Shunsui asked and the two ghouls both looked at him. "I had a girlfriend who was a nurse, once. She told me they generate quite a bit of medical waste. It normally goes to be incinerated."

"Really?" Starrk sounded surprised. The ancient ghoul rubbed his chin thoughtfully before taking a bite of his food. Shunsui looked away from that, eating a bit of his. It was alarmingly delicious. "I used to frequent hospitals, back when they housed many cadavers. Now, the bodies are sent to funeral homes… I hadn't thought about medical waste. Things like waste from transplants?" He hazarded and Shunsui nodded. "Intriguing. But I would think hospitals would have more cameras than funeral homes." The ghoul sounded troubled and Shunsui nodded again.

"They would. But you must be good at evading security systems." Funeral homes might not be cutting edge, state of the art in security, but they would be serviceable. Starrk nodded.

"Yes, but I know how funeral homes work. I think one of us needs to get a job as a janitor." He speculated and Shunsui thought about it for a moment before nodding. That was a very good idea. All he really knew about how hospitals worked was what his girlfriend had told him, which really wasn't much. "Which means one of us will need a false identity. Ah, the criminal element… I will need to begin making contact." Starrk sighed and Shunsui lifted an eyebrow at him. It was Lilinette who explained.

"He hates dealing with the mob. If they catch wind of what we are they either freak out and try an' shoot us or they try an' use us. Not sure which is worse." Lilinette rolled her eyes. "And they're a LOT better at tracking us than the authorities. We had to skip the border for a while. We even thought about heading for parts unknown, but Starrk kind of likes this place so we came back."

"This is my home. My people have always lived here." Starrk said simply and Shunsui stared at him, surprised. "I do not know who they are, but many of the people living here may still carry the blood of my tribe. The first city we founded was your capital."

"Really?" Shunsui was mildly shocked by the revelation. He'd known the city was old, of course – it was ruins built on top of ruins – but ten thousand years? Starrk nodded.

"It is a very good location." He said with a small smile. "Although over time, my people spread. Who knows? We may be related." Starrk said it with a faint edge of sadness and Lilinette huffed at them both.

"Oi! It'd take a geneticist to see and even if they would, who cares? No one knows who you are anyway. Welcome to the trash heap of history." She said and Starrk looked genuinely hurt for a moment – until a small blue tentacle suddenly hit him in the stomach, making him yelp. "And don't get funky! Geez! Cheer up you goomba!"

"Goomba? Lilinette, half the time I don't understand a word you're saying." Starrk protested mildly and Shunsui chuckled. "Well, we are fed and this should carry us for some time. We should begin looking for work."

"Can I get a job delivering papers again Starrk? Can I, can I?" Lilinette sounded so enthusiastic and Starrk laughed before nodding. "Sweet! Spending money!"

"As long as you can find a place willing to pay you under the table. Everything we do is under the table, but it shouldn't be too much of a problem." Starrk said and Shunsui nodded. The black and grey economy was large, particularly with the whole area still unsettled.

"I could get a job as a bartender." He volunteered. That was how he'd made money as a young man, he could easily do it again. Starrk nodded, although with a small frown.

"Not until you can use the kenserie better. There is another ghoul out there, I am sure of it. He or she is avoiding me." Starrk said with a sigh and Shunsui looked away with a frown. He hated feeling helpless, but his sparring sessions with Starrk had brought home how poor he was at controlling the tentacles. He could only manifest one at a time, right now. "I fear that ghoul is just looking for a time when you are out from under our eyes… I hate cat and mouse games. We must be cautious."

"We could use pinky as bait – OW! Starrk!" A red tentacle had slapped Lilinette upside the head. She manifested her blue ones and soon there was a spirited tussle going on. Shunsui smiled and delicately extended his pink tentacle, making it a fine line. Then he began to tickle Lilinette with it. "AH! PINKY STOP EEEK!"

"Stop calling me pinky and I'll think about it." He said cheerfully as Starrk caught her arms with his tentacles. Then, to his surprise, the elder ghoul manifested two more to keep her from forcing him away. He hadn't known Starrk had four. Ignoring that in favor of tormenting Lilinette, he tickled her until she was laughing and begging him to stop.

"I won't call you pinky!" She wheezed. "I swear! Oh my god Shunsui stop!" Pleased to hear his actual name, he smiled and pulled his tentacles away. "Now for my REVENGE – HEY!" Starrk grabbed her by the ankles and hung her upside down. "STARRK!" The sky blue tentacles pried at the red, but it was hopeless.

"No taking revenge on Shunsui. Now, would you like to go see a movie? There's a midnight showing of Greaseballs." He said and Lilinette's eyes lit up. Well, as much as they could when she was upside down with her hair in her face. Shunsui smiled a bit at the thought. It was an animated movie, he'd seen the commercials for it. Not something he would normally go to see but it likely would be amusing.

"Yeah, yeah! Let me down Starrk, I'll be nice to p – Shunsui." She corrected herself and Shunsui laughed, reaching out to ruffle her hair as Starrk set her back on her feet. She scowled at him, reaching up to slap away his hand. "Oi! You treat me like a kid and you'll be pinky again!" Lilinette threatened and he smiled at her.

"A deal. You're not a child and I'm not pinky." He said easily and she nodded.

"Alright, it's a deal. C'mon, let's go!" She darted out of the building and the two men followed close behind.

It was time for some mindless fun.

"Lilinette, I'm not sure about this." Shunsui was very ambivalent about what the young ghoul was up to. She peered past him intently, all her attention on a rather upscale boutique.

"I can do it! I know I can." She insisted and he frowned. "You just have to wait here. Starrk's being way paranoid and I don't scent anything, you'll be fine!" That, he did agree with. Starrk's paranoia about his safety was very annoying.

"Don't get caught." He warned her and she nodded impatiently before starting out, every inch the sweet, innocent child. Her wardrobe helped with that… Starrk had been busy, stealing them more clothing. She was wearing a very pretty blue dress with frills and a delicate bow beneath her budding breasts. And Lilinette came from a good family. She knew how to fit into a nice neighborhood.

Shunsui leaned against the wall, just watching as she walked into the boutique. She was planning to steal a very fashionable handbag. He thought she would manage it just fine… Lilinette and Starrk had removing ink tags with their tentacles down to an art form. Another thing he didn't have the fine control to manage yet.

Shunsui suddenly froze as a scent reached him. He glanced around sharply, tensing as he recognized the distinctive odor of another ghoul. It was nowhere near as complex as Starrk's aroma, but deeper than Lilinette's if he was any judge.

"…" He was a bit out of sight. Deciding that he really needed to be in plain sight, he moved – "Uck!" A tentacle of bright purple snagged him and dragged him back. It raised a thin line of blood on his skin but did not penetrate. Hissing in pain, he manifested his pink tentacle and lashed out. There was a soft laugh behind him as he turned to face the other ghoul.

"Finally." The ghoul he was facing was a woman. Her hair was soft blond, draping so it covered one of her eyes. They were black and purple, matching her tentacles. "This has been hard work but it all pays off now." She said with a toothy smile and Shunsui glared, readying himself.

Her attacks came quickly and violently. Only his sparring with Starrk let him hold out for even a moment. Blood flew as her tentacles got through his inadequate guard, slashing his hardened skin. Ghoul skin was uniquely suited to defeating ghoul attacks, which gave him a bit of time. If only Lilinette got back –

"HEY!" The purple ghoul looked annoyed as bright blue tentacles attacked her. Hissing in annoyance, she abandoned the fight and pulled herself onto the roof of the building. Lilinette watched her go, scowling. "Are you okay?" She asked, concerned and Shunsui grimaced as he looked over his clothing. The wounds weren't too bad but his clothes were partially shredded. "Oh man. Starrk's gonna be mad at me." She said gloomily as she examined him.

"I'll take responsibility for it as well." Shunsui said, running a hand over his face. He'd honestly thought Starrk was just being paranoid. It seemed he'd underestimated what another ghoul would do to eliminate the competition and secure a very good meal. "Did you get the bag, at least?" If not this would all feel extremely pointless. Lilinette brightened at that.

"Yeah, I did! See?" She lifted the little bag and he looked at it in bemusement. It was bright blue and matched her dress. "Guess how much it's worth!"

"No idea. How much?" He asked, going along with it. She gave him a cheeky grin.

"Three thousand dollars!" She said and he choked a bit. "It's a Paranetta!"

"Uh… right. Why don't we get out of here before the police arrive?" If he'd known purses could even cost that much, he wouldn't have agreed to this. Lilinette just sniffed.

"I got all the security crap and the cameras didn't get me. We're good. But sure, let's go." She started off, skipping cheerfully and Shunsui smiled as he trailed behind.

Lilinette did look very cute with her brand new fashion accessory.


	4. Chapter 4

"Oh my god Starrk, it's painful just watching you!" Shunsui looked up from his book, surprised, and smiled as he saw what was going on. Starrk was typing something on a laptop, using a painfully slow two finger technique. "How many times do I have to tell you to get a typing program? Geez!"

"Hush. I don't do this often enough to bother." Starrk said firmly as he continued his hunt and peck on the keyboard. Lilinette shook her head. "You know, have you considered how amazing it is that I even know how to use a computer? And a cell phone? The world has changed so much in the last hundred years. It's almost unrecognizable and yet, I'm managing to keep up."

"No you're not. You don't know how to download an app or how to set up the DVD player." Lilinette said unkindly. Shunsui chuckled softly as he glanced at the multimedia set up. It was a touch complex.

"To be fair, I'm not sure how to set up the DVD player." He commented and Starrk flashed him a grateful smile. "That thing is terrifying." Hitting the wrong button could send you god-knows-where. Lilinette groaned.

"Don't encourage him! Geez." She complained before grabbing a book off the table. It was one of his, but Shunsui didn't protest. He'd finished it already. "…You read romance novels? You're weird, pinky."

"Thank you, brain." He said easily and Lilinette looked blank before giggling at the joke. "I thought you weren't going to call me that." He reminded her and she smiled at him.

"Sorry Shunsui. Mind if I borrow this?" She asked and he shook his head.

"It's fine." He said before glancing around the room.

With his new job as a bartender in a very, very seedy bar and Starrk's position as a janitor in the local hospital, they were able to afford an apartment. It wasn't a very good one, though. Just a single bedroom flat in the bad part of town, it had more than a few problems. Fortunately, Starrk made a wonderful general handyman. So far he'd fixed up the sink and put in some grout in the bathroom. He was also doing a bit of work on the tiling. Before too long, it might be almost habitable.

Lilinette's 'room' was also the den. Her bed was the couch. It wasn't very good, something they had acquired from the local thrift shop, but she didn't complain. Their own bed wasn't much better, scavenged from the same source. He and Starrk shared the mattress, which posed a few problems…

Shunsui glanced at the older ghoul from the corner of his eye. The man's face was completely serene as he focused on his laptop. That made him look extremely attractive, although Starrk was attractive in general. That was starting to become an issue. As he settled into his new life and mastered his ghoul abilities, he was noticing how gorgeous Starrk could be.

It was so many things… first of all, the other ghoul was a remarkable man. He'd lived so long and been through so much, yet retained his sanity and humanity. He kept up with the times, even if he was 'grandpa level', to quote Lilinette. Shunsui agreed with Starrk… he thought it was amazing that the man was keeping up at all.

The other factor in the equation was their isolation. Certainly, Shunsui could date a woman if he cared to. But he couldn't tell her anything about his life and he might have to leave any moment without a backward glance. Not to mention that she might get a little suspicious of how he never ate. It would be easy to find a one night stand and he had, but that didn't do much for the long term ache. With Starrk, he could share everything.

Shunsui blinked as he realized he'd been staring at Starrk and Lilinette was giving him a knowing look. Blushing slightly, he turned his attention to his book. He wasn't even sure Starrk was interested in men. For all he knew he only liked girls… for several minutes, he read his book in peace, almost managing to banish those thoughts.

"Okay, you guys are driving me NUTS." Lilinette suddenly said, closing her book and tossing it onto the table. "It's like some weird telepathy! When Shunsui isn't looking at you, you stare at him. When Starrk isn't looking at you, you stare at him. The sexual tension is so high I feel like I'm in an episode of Sex and the City! Just bone each other already!"

"LILINETTE!" Starrk yelped, shocked, and Shunsui stared. Was he blushing? "Wha… when the hell have you been watching Sex in the City?!"

"No changing the subject!" A blue tentacle reached out and got automatically caught with a red one. Starrk's reflexes were too good for her to swat him the way she did him. "I'm eighteen, I can watch anything I want! And you guys need to fuck each other really soon! I don't care if it's just one night or you're soul mates, just stop mooning over each other!"

"I am not mooning!" Starrk was definitely blushing. Shunsui found it rather enchanting. And was Lilinette right? The other ghoul was attracted to him, too? Shunsui smiled slowly before deciding directness was called for.

"Well, she is the brain. She might be smarter than either of us." He said lightly before moving. Starrk looked at him wide eyed as he ran his fingers over the other man's cheek before sliding his hand into warm chestnut hair. "Do you want me, Starrk?"

"I, uh… yes but… I thought you liked girls?" He said and Shunsui chuckled before pulling the other man into a kiss. His mouth tasted delicious, warm and yielding under him. It vaguely came to him that that was probably the faintest taste of rot, but he resolutely put that aside. It tasted wonderful to him.

"I'm bisexual. I wasn't sure about you." He admitted when the parted. Starrk was gazing at him, his grey eyes wide and full of heat. "I see I shouldn't have worried. Are you gay?" He asked, just because he was curious. Starrk swallowed before nodding.

"Yes. It was part of why my predecessor picked me to become a ghoul." He said huskily. Shunsu nodded. That made a great deal of sense and it roused his curiosity, but…

"You'll have to tell me more about your past, sometime. But now…" He kissed the man again before pulling him towards the bedroom. That was partly for privacy but also partly self-defence. He hadn't missed the look Lilinette was giving them. She might be enjoying the show but Shunsui was sure a blue tentacle would be heading for them soon if they didn't move it.

The mattress took their weight easily and Starrk was soon under him, hands playing with his shirt as they ground together. Then the man under him smiled, getting serious about removing the offending cloth. Shunsui began doing the same to him, unbuttoning his pants and freeing the length inside. He felt a touch surprised when it sprang forth immediately.

"No underwear? I suppose I should have guessed." He said teasingly. It was true though, had a bunch of primitive tribesmen worn underthings? Likely not. Starrk chuckled, soft and deep.

"Yes, you should have." He said before they kissed again. Warm hands began pulling down his pants, impatient with the fabric. Shunsui helped, kicking them aside. Soon they were both naked and Shunsui paused to look over the other man. "Shunsui, you are gorgeous." Starrk sounded awed and he couldn't help but smile.

"So are you." Starrk's body was sculpted, all hard lines and toned muscles. That was partly because he was a ghoul, Shunsui knew. As long as they continued to eat human flesh, ghouls were blessed with a beautiful physique. However, he was willing to bet that Starrk had been gorgeous even before his change. He explored the planes of that body, savoring the feel of soft skin under his hands. "Kami, I want to feel you." Their eyes met and Starrk nodded, baring his throat in a submissive gesture. Shunsui took advantage of it, exploring the warm skin eagerly. There was a soft groan beneath him and Starrk arched up, rubbing against him. "Please tell me you have some lube." He didn't. He'd honestly never thought this would happen.

"Oh yes. Under the mattress, if Lilinette hasn't found it yet." Starrk said and Shunsui very briefly wondered what Lilinette would want lube for. Then he hid that thought in a deep, dark box. There were things he simply did not want to know… Tentacles were useful for many things and with his finer control, he sent one out to grope under the mattress as he continued to molest Starrk. The molestee returned the attention enthusiastically, kissing him passionately. Shunsui almost fumbled the lube when he found it, but managed to draw it out. "I'm, mmm, impressed." Starrk murmured, licking the shell of his ear and making him shiver. "The kenserie are harder to control when you're distracted…"

"I have a great deal of practice concentrating under pressure." He said and the tone gave the words a whole new meaning. He saw Starrk shudder and took the lube from his tentacle, making the pink thing vanish. As useful as they were, it was extremely difficult to do small tasks with them. He could manage it but only with so much concentration, it hardly seemed worth the bother. Opening the bottle use used it to dampen his fingers and gripped Starrk's erection, along with his own. He began to stroke them together, watching as Starrk's head fell back and he let out a heavy moan.

"That feels so good." The other man breathed, his eyes closing for a moment. When they opened, Shunsui was surprised to see the black and red of a ghoul using his powers. Red tentacles slid over the blankets before suddenly enfolding him.

"!" Shunsui breathed out in shock as he felt Starrk's kenserie around him. The tentacles were not trying to harm… quite the opposite. They were soft as silk and just the tiniest bit fuzzy, warm and yielding as they rubbed against his skin. "Starrk, what are you…" He groaned softly as he completely lost his ability to concentrate. There was a laugh beneath him and he looked down to see a wicked light in Starrk's alien eyes.

"I know how to concentrate under pressure as well." The ghoul said and Shunsui swallowed heavily. "Prepare me…" Starrk spread his legs invitingly and Shunsui left off his teasing, reaching beneath the other man to begin preparing his entrance. He completely missed a red tentacle scooping up the forgotten bottle of lube and managing to coat another one in it. It was messy and lube ended up on the bed, but that almost made it easier. Starrk gathered up the spilled lubrication, messily smearing it across that one particular tentacle.

Shunsui was oblivious to that, or he might have anticipated his fate. As it happened, though, he was taken entirely by surprise when something warm and soft probed at his entrance.

"Starrk! What are you… doing…?" His voice trailed off in a groan as a fine tendril of red eased inside him. Looking down he saw Starrk's eyes were half-lidded, his expression tranquil and almost zen-like as he felt the pleasure of his body and manipulated his tentacles at the same time. "Oh kami, how can you…" This was a virtuoso display of control. And it felt absolutely amazing. Starrk smiled up at him, spreading his legs invitingly.

"Just that amazing. Now please, take me Shunsui. I'm dying for you." Starrk said huskily and Shunsui's eyes widened. He couldn't resist… he pulled his hand away, pushing into the other man in one smooth move. There was a gasp followed by an intense groan and Shunsui jerked with a cry as that tentacle filled him, spreading his cheeks. It found his prostate and he arched before pounding into Starrk. The man under him reacted with a lusty cry. "Yes!"

"Starrk." The sensation of being surrounded by wet heat while being penetrated… it was remarkable. Shunsui had felt something like it only once before and then, it hadn't been as intense. The way that tentacle inside filled him, so completely, was simply unbelievable. And the other tentacles were still wrapped around him, teasing him with their fuzzy, silky soft surfaces. "Oh yes…" He began taking the man beneath him with a fast, intense rhythm. Starrk matched every one of his thrusts, his body moving with a supple grace that made Shunsui think of how he must have been, as an ancient tribesman. He could easily imagine the man wearing nothing but leathers, standing on a hill and gazing out over the rising sun… then the pleasure wiped such fanciful thoughts away and he kissed Starrk, their tongues tangling together in an intimate duet. "Starrk." He breathed the man's name into his ear, feeling the intimate shudder of the body beneath him. "You are… so…" The tentacle inside him kept lovingly stroking his prostate, making him gasp at the intensity of the feelings.

"So are you. Shunsui…" Starrk's voice was full of pleasure and Shunsui was glad to hear it. He felt like he was slacking off a bit but could he…? He extended a tentacle but was immediately stopped by a red one. "No. Startle reflex… too dangerous. I have control." Starrk said, his words fragmented as he struggled to speak through the pleasure. Shunsui didn't stop his thrusts for a moment as he tried to understand what the other ghoul was saying.

"Oh." Now he understood. If a ghoul was startled with their tentacles out, they would instinctively become hard and sharp. Not the sort of thing you wanted in an intimate moment and even a slamming door might do it. "Right… someday…" Although maybe not for a very long time. How did you control that reflex? Then the tentacle inside him did something amazing and Shunsui arched with a gasp. "AH! Stop…" If Starrk did that he would be cumming all too soon. There was a heavy chuckle beneath him but the other man desisted, going back to his gentle stroking.

"Keep your mind on what you're doing." Starrk advised and Shunsui smiled as he did that. He concentrated on nothing but the man under him, the pleasure he was giving and experiencing. He went in even deeper, taking the other man more firmly. Starrk groaned at the change in pace and Shunsui's breath caught in his throat at the naked lust and pleasure on his face.

"You look so…" He wanted to see that expression again. As often as possible, in fact. And he wanted these sensations, the tight, incredible heat, also as often as possible. Starrk's face was beaded with sweat now, those long, limber legs wrapped around his waist as the other man met all of his thrusts.

"Oh kami. More. More!" Starrk groaned and Shunsui obliged, speeding his thrusts to a breakneck rhythm. Then that tentacle inside him did that remarkable thing again and he couldn't hold back. His vision exploded in stars and sparks as he came with a cry, feeling the intense pleasure of release. Starrk's body arched from the bed as he followed, his scream of ecstasy echoing through the small apartment. They were both left panting and trembling in the aftermath –

THUMP! Shunsui flinched but Starrk didn't react, just glancing over his shoulder as he slowly eased his tentacles free. THUMP THUMP! Someone was pounding on the wall?

"I think we've angered the neighbors." Starrk said conversationally and Shunsui choked. "Perhaps we should go back to the main room until they calm down?"

"Uh… right." He would like to sleep but not when someone was clearly infuriated at them. Briefly, Shunsui was glad that Starrk had stopped him from using his tentacles. That surprising bang would have activated his startle reflex with very unfortunate consequences. Smiling, he grabbed a bathrobe as Starrk pulled on some pajamas.

It was still early for them. They could rest later.

"This is AWESOME! I love you Starrk. I love you Shunsui." Lilinette pledged, which Shunsui was sure would last no longer than the next time Starrk had to discipline her. Although she did love him very much, even when he had to remind her of things.

"It was nothing." Starrk said easily as Shunsui looked around with a smile. "I enjoy these things too."

Despite the threats of war and the occasional bang of rockets, life went on. And in this city, that meant the yearly anime convention was currently in full swing. Lilinette had talked them into attending although it hadn't really taken much. He wasn't costuming but Lilinette and Starrk were. Lilinette was dressed up as a young demon girl and Starrk was her human mentor. It was from an anime that Shunsui had watched a few times and rather liked. Lilinette's outfit was mostly black and rather elaborate, suiting her slender, pre-pubescent body quite well. But then, the girl in the anime was about the same age.

"You do look very good in priest garb." Shunsui teased and Starrk made a face as Lilinette laughed.

"Ya know what makes that funny? He is a priest. He got ordained a long time ago, ask him to tell you the story sometime. He almost got nominated as a saint but he managed to skip town before they could do it." She said merrily and Shunsui blinked. Starrk growled at her, mildly annoyed.

"It would have been highly inconvenient. Shall we go look at Artist's Alley?" He asked and they both nodded.

Soon they were sorting through beautiful artwork and various artisan items and crafts. Lilinette had an allowance for the event and was being quite picky, trying to find just the right item to spend it on. It was boring for the men in her life so Starrk had a suggestion.

"Why don't you do this while Shunsui and I check out the gaming tables?" He suggested. "There might be some Settler's of Catan groups." That made Shunsui smile. The game was perfect for the three of them so they played it constantly.

"Yeah, sure. You got your cell phone?" Starrk nodded but that didn't entirely satisfy Lilinette. "And is it charged?" She asked suspiciously and Starrk checked it before verifying that it was, indeed, charged. "I'm not gonna ask Shunsui, he's way more reliable than you." She said firmly and Starrk looked pained as Shunsui laughed.

"You are so cruel to me… come on, let's leave her to this." He said and Shunsui followed him with a smile. They both missed the camera crew, filming one of the events. It was something they weren't interested in and had nothing to do with them.

"…And live on the scene of the New Langford anime convention!" Juushiro was eating his lunch and ignoring the TV. There was nothing around him but silence. No funny jokes, no laughter, none of the warmth that Shunsui usually brought to the room.

The loss of his best friend was painful. Juushiro wasn't sure but he thought it might be even worse because Shunsui wasn't dead. No, the ghoul had come for him. Had the Thief somehow been attracted to him and come specifically to bite and change him? Or had he been changing already? Even Urahara wasn't sure. He'd never heard of a delayed change but he also thought it made absolutely no sense for the Thief to take on a second protégé if he didn't have to. He also thought it would be quite out of character for the man.

Whatever the reason behind it, though, Shunsui was gone. His description had been added to all the other ghouls on file and they were searching for him but at the moment, it was all rather low on the priority list. War seemed to be inevitable. Juushiro wondered, wearily, when it would finally arrive.

Perhaps what happened next was fate. Or perhaps it was merely luck. Either way, Juushiro happened to glance up at the TV just as the camera panned over the people nearby.

"…!" He nearly choked on his food as he recognized the set of the shoulders, the build of the man. There was also a glimpse of his profile. And while Shunsui had clearly decided to grow a beard, even that was familiar. It had been better trimmed when they were teenagers, but still there. And the long hair… he'd worn it like that, also when he was a teenager. "Oh kami." Searching for the remote, he found it and backtracked. Soon he was watching the video intently. There was no sign of the little girl but he also managed to recognize the Thief. Standing right beside Shunsui and talking to him in a friendly manner. Juushiro abruptly decided it must have been a delayed change. Shunsui would never have tamely accepted being ripped away from his life, but if it was happening already…

Closing his eyes in pain, he tried to decide what to do. If he went to Urahara with this… Juushiro swallowed. He knew, in his head, that Shunsui was eating people. The Thief was almost certainly murdering to keep them fed, even if it wasn't his preferred course of action. He should report this to Urahara so they could all be hunted down and destroyed. And yet, that was his best friend. Massaging his forehead, he tried to make a decision.

It was a hard dilemma to face.

"… I don't understand this song at all." Starrk said, watching as Lilinette danced with a bunch of other girls. She was the youngest of the lot and looked particularly adorable as she sang. Shunsui grimaced, running a hand over his face as he listened to the lyrics.

I don't care!  
I ship it!  
I don't care!

You're on the cannon ground, I'm up in crackship space,  
Let's start a shipping war, don't care if I get hate.  
Don't like my pairings well, then you can hit the bricks,  
This is my own TP I'll go down with this ship.

I ship it!

"It's about gay sex." He said, feeling slightly pained. Starrk blinked.

"Oh." There was a pause as they continued to listen. "…I understand this song even less now." Starrk confessed and Shunsui couldn't help but laugh.

"It will be over soon." Then they could retrieve Lilinette and see about heading home for some much needed rest. As wonderful as this was, they were all becoming exhausted. She skipped away after the song was done, an endless ball of energy. "Lilinette, it's time to go home." He said firmly and Starrk nodded. She pouted but surprisingly, didn't protest.

"I'm feeling kinda tired and I've got to deliver the newspaper tomorrow. But we are coming back right? I have more money to spend!" She said, concerned and Starrk laughed as he ruffled her hair. She slapped his hand away with a scowl. "Oi! Hands to yourself, pervert!"

"Must you mock my costume?" Starrk said with a groan as Shunsui grinned. It was a standing joke in the anime that the priest mentor for the demon girl had to be a pervert. Why else would he spend so much time with a prepubescent girl? And to be fair, the anime had plenty of subtext. "Come on, we're taking the bus to the train. It will take over an hour to get home." Pessimistic but true. Public transit wasn't the best but it was all they could afford, unless they wanted to steal a car. And that was something to do when they skipped town, not a valid method of transportation. Smiling to himself, Shunsui followed the two ghouls as they bickered playfully. For one brief moment he thought of Juushiro and felt a pang. He almost wished his friend could be here.

He knew Juushiro would have liked Starrk and he would have loved Lilinette.


	5. Chapter 5

"This is awfully good. I don't think we've ever fed this well before." Lilinette said as she ate something more than a touch rotten. What had it been originally? A spleen? Shunsui decided he would much rather not think about it, closing his eyes and taking a bite of his own food. Once again, it was alarmingly delicious.

"Mmm hmm. Thank you, Shunsui. I would never have thought of it." Starrk sounded very content and Shunsui nodded before swallowing.

"It was nothing." He'd just provided them the idea. Starrk was the one who had put it into practice. "No one suspects anything?"

"Nothing. I never imagined it would be this easy." Starrk took another bite of his food. Once, it had been a diseased organ, removed only to be replaced. That might have bothered them but most such diseases were chronic and ghouls were not susceptible to infections. "There are no cameras and no one has noticed a thing."

"Yeah, well, who would want crap like this? Except for a ghoul?" Lilinette asked, which was very true. Starrk nodded, taking his empty plate to the sink for a quick rinse. "Just don't get fired, your job makes this way easier."

"No chance of that. Everyone loves me." Starrk said, looking up from the running water with a smile. "Apparently I'm the best janitor they've ever had."

"That's because they're not paying for shit." Lilinette said, cynical observer of human nature. Shunsui rather agreed. Starrk's worth ethic was a steal for the price. And… "You're even saving them money incinerating these things. Man, they should be paying you extra! You're getting hosed Starrk."

"I can hardly tell them that." Starrk said, mildly pained, and Shunsui chuckled. "Why don't you tell Shunsui how he's getting hosed?"

"I'm not as badly off as you. I'm not paying into a retirement plan and employment insurance I'll never use." He said easily and Starrk made a face. It was true though. He was working completely under the table which meant no deductions from his paycheck. It was a small paycheck but it was all his. "But who cares? Starrk, can you tell me a bit about your history?" He asked. "How you were picked to become a ghoul?" Because Starrk had made it clear it was a deliberate selection, not a random accident. He was very curious about that. The elder ghoul froze for a moment and Lilinette sighed.

"Now he's going to get all funky. OI! Take it to the roof!" A blue tentacle came out and tried to swat Starrk. He blocked neatly but blinked at the action. "Go look at the stars."

"We won't see any stars here. Just city lights." Starrk protested but moved towards the door. "She has heard this all before… come, Shunsui. We can talk without interruptions." Shunsui nodded, following. Lilinette often appreciated some time to herself anyway. Often, they found the lube in places it shouldn't be after that. Shunsui resolutely refused to think about why.

They made their way up the stairs, ignoring the stench of urine in the stairwell and the broken needles in the corners. This was not a nice apartment building although it wasn't the worst. A few flights took them to the roof and Starrk jimmied the lock on the door with practiced ease. No one was actually supposed to be on the roof. Making their way outside, they settled down on the edge of the crumbling bricks, gazing over the city. Or rather, looking out over the parking lot and at the nearby high rise. They were not privileged with any kind of view. Shunsui smiled a bit to himself as he remembered. It was a lot like the group home he and Juushiro had met in.

"Mmm." Starrk gazed over the landscape, his expression pensive and his hands folded loosely in his lap. "Shunsui… it is painful, to remember these things. But I told Lilinette so I should tell you as well." He said after a moment and Shunsui just listened, not interrupting. "A long time ago but not so far away, I was a young man. Strong, a great hunter and a student to the shaman of our tribe. My parents were not high status but I showed signs of changing that." Starrk said softly, gazing away as he remembered.

"Then, the ghoul of our tribe began looking for a successor." He said and Shunsui nodded. "We were a large tribe, with a good hunting range. Others envied us and a new tribe came to the area, looking to muscle us out. He knew there would be a great battle, one that he might not survive. Just in case, he wanted to turn one of us, to leave with the women and children to guard if everything went wrong." He explained before gazing down at his hands. "He was a very reclusive man. We regarded him with awe… he went through all of the young warriors, questioning us carefully and receiving opinions on us. Finally, he chose me." Starrk turned his arm over and Shunsui saw something he'd missed before… a scar. It was the imprint of human teeth. "I was deeply honored by his choice and vowed to defend the tribe with all my power and skill."

"I don't think you understand what it was like." Starrk said and his voice was full of so much grief, an ancient sadness. "We were little gods, Shunsui. That was what the word for us meant, in fact. Yatansoku… avatars, gods made flesh. My family was so proud of me! My mother and father became high status on the strength of it. My sisters both made good marriages, all because of me. Generations later, my sisters' great grandchildren would look at me and say we are related to him! And they said it with pride." Starrk fell silent for a moment and Shunsui could feel his pain, his longing for those times lost. "It was an honor to feed me. The sacrifices were made gladly."

"And now, I am like all the others." He said softly, so softly that Shunsui had to strain to hear him. "Nothing but vermin, a scavenger, feared and hunted. It hurts to remember. I try not to think about those good times, when I was respected and treasured." He glanced at the scar on his arm again before looking away with a sigh. "Sometimes, I regret surviving so long. Perhaps I should have allowed myself to die when the tribe began to turn away…"

"No." Shunsui reached out, gripping Starrk's shoulder and giving him a squeeze. "Starrk, you are a remarkable man. The world would be much poorer without you." He said with absolute sincerity. "I would never have imagined a ghoul like you." Urahara had a good grasp of Starrk's basic character, but even he didn't know the extent of it. Shunsui wondered what he would think, if he knew the lengths the Thief went to, to avoid killing. And the reasons behind it. Acting purely on instinct, Starrk ran a hand through Starrk's before pulling him into a kiss.

He could taste just the faintest trace of salt on the elder ghoul's lips, the hint of his sorrow. He could see the wide grey eyes, feel the intensity as Starrk returned his kiss passionately. Hands ran through his hair, finding the tie to his ponytail and combing the fabric away. The elder ghoul griped his hair and Shunsui reached up, stroking a hand through his lover's heavy hair. Although…

"Have you ever thought about growing this out?" He asked and Starrk chuckled in his ear, a low, warm sound.

"I've done it. I look like a wendigo." He said and Shunsui laughed at the thought. "It goes frizzy… ah, nevermind that. I want you. Can I have you?" He asked and Shunsui swallowed at the thought. He rarely allowed another man into his body. Did he want to do it now?

"Yes." He said huskily, putting his arms around Starrk's shoulders and pulling the man into another kiss. Starrk returned it as he reached into his pocket. "Mmm… you have lube?" That was strange. The elder ghoul laughed, softly.

"No. I have hand cream. I mixed some chemicals by hand and it made my skin a bit dry." He said, smiling. Shunsui smiled back as hands found his shirt, working on the buttons. "I love the way you look." Starrk said appreciatively as warm hands moved over his body. Shunsui laughed as the other ghoul paused to shrug out of his shirt. With the dirty jobs he needed to do, Starrk favored dark t-shirts.

"I love the way you look, too." They were really very different. Starrk was a different body type, lighter and wirier than his stocky build. The other ghoul was also nearly hairless, thanks to his drunken experiments with potions. Shunsui thought it was gorgeous. He'd never tried to remove his own hair, since it would just be a ridiculous amount of work and pain, but he wasn't that fond of it. "Starrk…" He caught his hand in those heavy brown strands, pulling the other ghoul into a kiss. Starrk claimed his mouth as though he was trying to devour him.

Soon they were naked, using their clothing to give a bit of padding on the cold roof. Shunsui gasped as fingers, well coated in lube, breached him. Starrk took it slowly and carefully, letting him get accustomed to the feel of those digits inside himself. Briefly, he wondered why Starrk didn't use his tentacles, but then dismissed the thought. They were on the roof and while it was unlikely someone would see them, it was possible. They lived here and that kind of mistake could force them to move, something no one wanted.

Then those fingers massaged his prostate and the pleasure wiped any other thought away. Shunsui groaned, arching slightly at the feeling. Starrk kissed him on the throat, rubbing their bodies together as he continued to stimulate him.

When the other man thought he was ready, Starrk positioned himself. Shunsui breathed slowly, keeping himself loose and supple as the elder ghoul began slowly pressing his way inside. The size of that organ made him groan softly in pain, but that was quickly replaced with pleasure as he was filled, so completely. He felt Starrk straining against him, fighting hard not to move.

"Please, take me…" He breathed and Starrk groaned before pulling back and sliding back into his well-lubed body. "AH!" The feel of that heavy cock hitting his prostate was amazing. And it felt even better as Starrk gripped his cock, stroking him in time with each thrust.

The man above him took it slowly, savoring every moment of the sex. Shunsui could see it in Starrk's face, the intense pleasure he was feeling. He felt the same, deeply enjoying every kiss, every moment of the intensely carnal sensations.

"I think I love you." He whispered into the other man's ear and felt Starrk go still for just a moment. Perhaps he shouldn't have said that. Perhaps it was too early… then Starrk moved against him and he groaned as his prostate was hit again.

"Shunsui. I feel like you… complete me." Starrk said and he felt like his heart could burst. That was… he didn't have words. "I could see… walking through the plains with you… being taken under the stars…"

"Oh god." That vision, of being beside Starrk when the ghoul was young and the world was new, was enchanting. Then the pleasure of his body wiped the thought away and he clung to the other man, feeling the sweat beading on his body as that heavy organ continued tormenting his body. "Still beautiful… now…" Making love under the streetlights on this dirty rooftop… somehow, it was still magnificent. Probably because it was Starrk.

He felt it as the pressure inside him built, demanding release. Shunsui quivered, pushing back against his lover as he got closer and closer. Starrk gasped and Shunsui met his eyes just before the ghoul stiffened against him. The fell of that member pulsing inside him, the hand wrapped around his cock easily brought him over the edge. He cried out, his voice heavy with lust as his body spasmed, coating Starrk's hand with his seed.

They both lay tangled together, slowly coming down from their high. Starrk slowly nuzzled and kissed him on the throat, making him sigh. It felt so good. He nuzzled the other man back, enjoying the moment. Although that reminded him…

"One thing I meant to ask. You said that you were partly picked because you were gay?" He wondered about that. Starrk chuckled softly, completely relaxed after coitus.

"Yes." The other ghoul slowly pulled away, leaving him before laying down beside him with a smile. "In the tribe it was always important to make good, strong children. So many died young, you see." He said and Shunsui nodded. He could imagine that, without any modern medical care. "My lack of desire for women, on top of my other qualities, decided him. Ghouls are sterile, after all." He said and Shunsui nodded.

"That makes sense. Did you want to just stay up here for a while?" He was feeling disinclined to move. Starrk smiled, nuzzling him again.

"I would love to." They were just starting to drop off when there was a knock on the door, then the sound of someone fiddling with the lock. Starrk looked over lazily as Lilinette popped open the door and Shunsui frowned, looking over and taking care to stay behind Starrk. Lilinette had seen them naked before but it was still a touch embarrassing. And why was she bothering them? And why did she look so serious?

"Starrk? Shunsui? We've kind of got a problem…" She said and his stomach sank as Starrk frowned, standing and picking up his clothing. "It's in our apartment." That made him swallow as he quickly pulled on is clothing. What did that mean?

They found out as they went inside. There was a dead body sprawled out in the middle of the den. It was a young man and he had clearly been dispatched by one of Lilinette's tentacles. She had done it almost surgically, ramming it through the base of his skull. There was very little blood and only a bit of brain matter.

"Very neat, but what happened?" Starrk asked calmly as Shunsui felt a little sick. Lilinette quickly explained.

"He came knocking at the door. The spyglass is broken – you know that – " Shunsui grimaced as Starrk nodded. That was on his list of things to fix but fairly low. "So I opened the door and he kicked it right in! Broke the chain." She waved at the door. It was closed but they could see the damage. "Then he put his hand over my face so I couldn't scream and shoved me back, closing the door behind him. I kind of let him pull me into the den 'cause I wanted to see what he was doing. When he started trying to tear off my clothes I stabbed him." She reported and the anger on Starrk's face as he glared at the body was a bit frightening to see. Shunsui felt much the same, though. Lilinette might be eighteen but she looked only twelve, thirteen at the most. "Anyway, what are we going to do with this? We don't have a freezer." She said practically and Shunsui winced. That made him feel like a serial killer. Although no one could argue that this stranger hadn't deserved it.

"Hmm." Starrk rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I wonder if we could get a freezer? It would be a shame to waste this." He said after a moment. "Although we could harvest the organs and age them in the fridge. Still, the whole body would be preferable." He kept his voice down, mindful of the thinness of the walls.

"There's really nowhere to put it." Shunsui put in. The apartment was rather small. "We should take what we can and get rid of it. Perhaps the river?" They could weigh the body down. The odds that it would be found were low. Starrk nodded.

"Lilinette, the tarp." She quickly ran to the closet to get that. It was a bit sickening to contemplate, but this was not the first time Starrk had dealt with a fresh body. His kit was nothing like what a serial killer would use but there were a few necessities. Soon they had the plastic beneath the body and Shunsui swallowed as Starrk summoned his tentacles and began giving him a quick anatomy lesson. He paid attention, aware of the fact that he would have to do this himself someday. "Too much fat in the body cavity. I really wonder about that. I never saw that at all, when I was young. Later, after agriculture began, I would see it sometimes. But now it's endemic." Starrk said as he extracted the organs, his tentacles flicking through the flesh with practiced ease. "I think it must be very unhealthy but I have no idea what causes it."

"Well, at least we don't have to worry. Want me to get the brain?" Lilinette asked and Shunsui swallowed as Starrk nodded. Blue tentacles carefully sliced open the bone. It was effortless for her, but that meant she had to be careful not to cut the brain apart. It was better if she took it out intact.

When the butchery was done they got a garbage bag for the body. The corpse and the soiled tarp went in together. Then it was time for them to take the body to the river. Lilinette went with them, skipping along and lending her aura of innocence to their dark task. Who would believe a little girl could be helping to dispose of a body? No one.

Sometimes, Lilinette could be a very effective cover.

Shunsui mixed a drink and pushed it down the bar to the man who had ordered it. He took the drink, leaving a few dollars on the bar. Enough to pay for his drink with perhaps a quarter to spare. Shunsui took them with alacrity, before anyone else could think to grab them. This was not an upscale bar and any money lying around tended to vanish.

Shunsui smiled to himself as he kept serving drinks. This was a very familiar job to him. He'd done it for years when he was a young man. And the quality of the bar had been much the same then, too. He'd started when he was too young to be inside a bar, legally, and he'd been paid under the table then too. Strangely, he almost felt like he'd stepped back in time.

When he turned to serve his next customer, though, that feeling turned into full fledged déjà vu. For a moment he didn't even register why it was a problem.

"Whisky on the rocks, please." Juushiro said with a small smile and Shunsui felt his own mouth drop open. He couldn't help the utterly shocked reaction. How…? "And can we talk later, when your shift is over?"

"Uh… yes, of course." He said as he started to recover, getting his best friend a drink on autopilot. "I, uh… that's not until 2 AM." And then Lilinette would be arriving to make sure he got home safely. They couldn't afford a car and while he was definitely gaining control of his tentacles, another ghoul might still be tempted to take a shot. Juushiro took his drink and sipped on it as Shunsui tried to concentrate on his job, ignoring his shock and worry.

There was a lot to be concerned about. Had Urahara found them? But if so, why was Juushiro speaking to him like this? Shunsui thought as he worked and decided his friend had to be acting on his own. But how had Juu found him so easily? He would have to ask. And that brought him to another concern… Lilinette. She might recognize him and try to get rid of him immediately. And who could blame her? They were all settled in here and didn't want to leave so soon. In a few years they would have to – Lilinette's lack of growth would become noticeable – but they wanted to stretch it out. And what did Juushiro think he was doing, hunting down ghouls this way…?

When his shift was finally over the owner locked up the bar and Shunsui took his best friend out back. That was where he usually met Lilinette and it was also a good place to talk privately.

"Juu, what in hell is going on? How did you find me here?" He asked, feeling a tremendous anxiety. "Kisuke doesn't know about this, does he?" If he did… Shunsui was sure someone was moving on Starrk and Lilinette already. Juushiro shook his head.

"No, I'm doing this on my own. I spotted you at that anime convention and I know you. I knew you would get a job at a bar." He said and Shunsui blinked, his mind reeling a little. Was he really that predictable? Juushiro saw how taken aback he was and smiled, slightly. "Remember what they taught us? People tend to gravitate to the professions they know."

"…Damn it." Juushiro was right. He'd forgotten about that or at least, never thought of applying it to himself. "So you just surfed the bars until you found me?" He asked and his friend nodded.

"It wasn't that hard. I asked around for anyone of your description." He said calmly and Shunsui bit his lip. "But I have questions too. Was it a delayed change or did the Thief come for you? And have you been killing people?" He asked, his gaze stern. Shunsui wondered what Juu thought he would do if the ghouls had. But then, his best friend knew he wouldn't harm him.

"It was a delayed change. I nicked myself on his fang when I tried to check his breathing." He said quietly, feeling a deep pain in his heart. He loved Starrk and Lilinette was adorable, but he'd lost his whole life. It still hurt. "And the only one we've killed so far was a man who tried to rape the girl." He knew better than to use names. "He deserved it." Shunsui said firmly. There had never been any danger to Lilinette but if she'd been a normal child, well… Juushiro frowned at him.

"How have you been feeding then? There's three of you." He said suspiciously and Shunsui smiled, remembering.

"Do you remember Annalise?" He asked and Juushiro blinked at the non-sequiter. "The girl I dated for a while? The one who could go on and on about all the disgusting things she had to do in her job as a nurse?"

"…Oh. Yes, I remember." Juushiro said and Shunsui wasn't surprised. His friend had stopped going to eat with him while he was dating her. "What about her?"

"She happened to mention that hospitals send all kinds of organic waste to be incinerated." He said cheerfully, although he vaguely wondered if this was a good idea. But he had to tell Juu something and the truth was much better than a lie. "The Thief has a job as a janitor now at the local hospital. We're all very well fed."

"Oh." Juushiro absorbed that for a moment before looking very relieved. "I – " He stopped short as a little girl skipped into view.

"Hey Shunsui! I – oh, who's this?" She smiled sweetly at Juushiro, who smiled back automatically. Shunsui wasn't surprised, his friend had always loved children. "He work here too?" She asked, which made some sense. Shunsui shook his head.

"No. This is my friend, Ukitake Juushiro." She froze slightly and he saw the brief look of panic that crossed her face. Her eyes abruptly shifted to ghoul black and blue and Juushiro took a step back, but nothing else happened. She looked at him, though.

"Your childhood friend? St… he's not going to be happy." She quickly censored herself and Shunsui nodded.

"I know. We all need to talk." He could feel how tense Juu was beside him and tried to reassure him. "No one's going to hurt you." He said and Lilinette huffed, her eyes going back to their normal pink.

"You must be crazy, coming after a bunch of ghouls like this! And how'd you find us anyhow? He's gonna be pissed! Well, come on, not like we have all day." She turned away then suddenly stopped. "HEY! Do you have a car? That'd be awesome!"

"I do actually. It's a rental." Juushiro said immediately and Lilinette almost squealed. Shunsui winced a little at the sound. "Please follow me." It turned out he was in a public parking area. Shunsui thought he was lucky that the car hadn't been ripped off yet. This was definitely not the good part of town.

The car was intact, though, so they quickly took it to the apartment complex. There was assigned parking and their spot was empty, thankfully. They'd never used it so other people had gotten into the habit of taking it. Making their way upstairs, they quickly entered the apartment. Starrk was nowhere to be seen, though.

"He's taking a nap." Lilinette supplied. "I'll go kick him awake." She darted off to the bedroom and they all heard a startled yelp followed by the murmuring of voices. Shunsui took a seat on the couch and Juushiro followed a moment later, sitting gingerly. Then Starrk came out of the bedroom. He was still in his work uniform, looking slightly rumpled. He was not in the least bit sleepy, though, and his grey eyes were cool and thoughtful as he looked at Juushiro.

"The man with the hat cannot have sent you. He would have sent an apprehension team, with those terrible nets they like to use." Starrk said and Shunsui grimaced. The other ghoul had briefed him on the methods used to take ghouls alive and the nets sounded very unpleasant. Starrk took a seat in the only other chair, a battered recliner. "I'm afraid the only refreshments we can offer are water and tea."

"Tea would be fine." He said politely and Starrk glanced at Lilinette, who took the hint and went to the kitchen to put the kettle on. "And yes, I'm acting on my own. I spotted Shunsui on the news and I had to reassure myself."

"The news?" Starrk sounded taken aback and Juushiro explained about the anime convention. That made the elder ghoul rub his head in mental pain. "Random chance. I hate that… there's never a good way to prevent such things. Ah! But at least that horrible man does not know about us. There's at least some chance that we won't have to move."

"Horrible man?" Juushiro questioned and Starrk gave him a small, sad smile.

"He means Urahara Kisuke." Shunsui supplied as Juushiro frowned. "Apparently, he likes to experiment on us." Starrk nodded.

"I rescued a ghoul from his clutches, once. Although I had to destroy her myself, not long after." Starrk sounded quietly grief stricken and Shunsui blinked. He hadn't heard this part. Lilinette poked her head out of the kitchen.

"Hey, what's that? You never told me this story! What happened?" She asked and Starrk sighed. Then he shrugged.

"It's not that interesting." He said, which Shunsui greeted with extreme skepticism. In his opinion, Starrk hardly knew the meaning of the word. He'd seen far too much to be a good judge of what was interesting to mere mortals. "Her name was Halibel. We met and became lovers in the Middle Ages… she begged me to turn her, so we could be together until the end of time." Starrk shook his head. "I told her that the end of time was longer than she could imagine and we would be lucky to have a few hundred years where our love burned. Still, I did change her. I needed a companion and we truly loved each other." He paused, staring away for a moment. "I was right… our love gradually faded, as such things often do. Our parting was not acrimonious. I have a good sense of when to end such things." He still sounded sad, though. Shunsui wondered queasily if that would ever be him and Starrk, agreeing to part ways. He couldn't imagine it but he hadn't been with the other ghoul for hundreds of years, either. "Sometimes, we can sense those we change when they are in pain or deep distress. I felt her agony… I had to save her from him. He was torturing her."

"Then why did you kill her?" Juushiro asked softly as Starrk stopped, looking at his hands. The ghoul blinked, looking up again.

"The years had not been kind to her. It did not take long before I realized she had lost her mind. No doubt that was how he justified his behavior towards her… she had taken to killing, and worse. She liked to torment those she killed, like a child playing with flies. Ah, thank you." Lilinette rested a mug of tea on the table in front of him, then another in front of Juushiro. She gave him a questioning look and he shook his head. Then she took a seat beside him, perching on the arm of the sofa. "When I objected she called them ants and tried to convince me that it was our right to do what we liked with humans. I pretended to be open to that. When she turned away from me I gathered all my power into one kenserie and dispatched her. It was clean and painless." Starrk sighed, rubbing his face. "Difficult, but it had to be done."

"I see." Juushiro hesitated a moment. "I can only stay a few more days before I have to go home but… could we meet again? I can see you and Shunsui are very close." Shunsui stared at that. How did he…? Juushiro flashed him a smile. "I know you very well, you know. The way you look at him is so obvious."

"Juu!" He couldn't help but blush. Lilinette laughed as Starrk also blushed a little. "We both have tomorrow off. We could do something." And maybe Juushiro could reassure himself about what kind of a man Starrk was. He looked at Starrk questioningly for a moment. The other ghoul looked pensive before nodding.

"Perhaps the petting zoo. I do rather enjoy that." It was cheap and fun. Shunsui smiled a bit, remembering. Starrk had kept saying it was for Lilinette at first, until she'd tried to smack him and told him to own up to the fact that he loved fuzzy little critters. "My name is Coyote Starrk. This is Lilinette Gingerbuck." He introduced them both and Shunsui felt a bit of relief. Giving Juushiro their names meant the elder ghoul was trusting him, at least a bit. Although Starrk did often use false names, especially on his fake IDs.

"I'm Ukitake Juushiro." He introduced himself and they continued chatting for a while before Juushiro had to leave. They set a time to meet the next day. Shunsui smiled a bit to himself at the thought.

He was sure they would have a very good time.


	6. Chapter 6

The trip to the petting zoo never happened.

All three of them were deeply asleep when it happened. Shunsui was roused from his rest with a jolt as the whole room seemed to sway. He didn't mean to extend his tentacles but it happened anyway, a reaction to the fear and surprise. Red crossed his vision and he knew it was Starrk's tentacles, looking for anything they could grab hold of… a quest that proved futile when the floor suddenly gave way. He could vaguely hear Lilinette's scream as the whole building started to collapse around them.

"Shit!" His own voice sounded distant as he saw a blurry vista of broken masonry and heard distant screaming. The building collapsed with a grating, grinding sound. Shunsui found himself beneath some masonry but he was much luckier than Starrk had been… he was able to extend his tentacles. He immediately began shoving at the weight pinning him down, lessening the strain on his body as he tore through the mass.

"Ow." That voice was a relief, as he pulled himself free. "That stung… hey, where's Starrk?" Lilinette was covered in dust, blinking as she stood on the rubble. She was wearing a white, voluminous nightgown with a cartoon mouse on the front, teasing a cartoon cat. "Oh shit, not again!" She sniffed the air and Shunsui did the same. They'd been close together, he couldn't be too far.

Then a red tentacle almost smacked him and Shunsui jumped back as he realized he was almost standing over the other ghoul. Masonry and steel rebar tore and shattered as Starrk pulled himself out of the rubble

"Ugh. What the… am I some kind of magnet for rockets?" The elder ghoul complained and Shunsui couldn't help but smile. "At least it was better than last time. All the pieces were too small and weak to pin me. Shoddy construction."

"The good part about not living in solid concrete. But what's going on? Was that just bad luck?" Lilinette asked and they exchanged glances. It was certainly possible that it was a random rocket. In fact, it had to be… no one on the other side of the border could possibly know the ghouls were here, nor would they care. Although…

"I hear more rockets." Shunsui said distractedly. Starrk nodded. Then a plane went by overhead and they both looked up as it dropped something, some distance away. The flash of light and concussive boom that followed were fairly instructive.

"This is a general offensive." Starrk said and Shunsui stiffened as he suddenly thought of something.

"Juushiro!" He began scrambling through the wreckage as the other two ghouls watched, confused. "My cell phone! Where's my cell phone?" He needed to call his friend.

"Oh my god seriously? It could be anywhere! Let's go find a pay phone… wait, do we even have pay phones?" Lilinette said and Shunsui kept searching.

"In this neighborhood? They were ripped off years ago." Starrk said and Shunsui thought he was completely right. "Shunsui, you will never find it. We can use our tentacles and travel via the rooftops. It is likely no one will see and if they do, it is likely they will not care."

"Uh… right." That was taking a chance but it was fairly minor. Even if they were spotted, no one would have any clue who they were. Abandoning the search he went with the other two ghouls as they began making their way through the city. "Are we leaving the city?" It seemed likely to him that it was going to be occupied. Starrk made a small humming sound as he considered it.

"I am not sure… as two adult men, we would not be in much danger of rape." He said and Shunsui grimaced as he nodded. Such things were not supposed to happen in modern warfare, but he knew better. And Starrk had a more traditional view of war. He regarded pillaging and rapine as a given. "And Lilinette is really too young to be concerned. We have nothing to be pillaged… we could remain."

"Mmm hmm." Much of the civilian population often did remain, in these kinds of circumstances. "Trying to get out would be hard." He could only imagine what the roads were like. The trains would be stuffed, if they were running at all. Was there an evacuation plan in place? It hadn't been mentioned on the news or TV that he could remember. Shunsui had no illusions though. That might mean only the rich parts of town had a coherent plan in place. The poor were left to fend for themselves. "But we need to make sure Juushiro's alright." That might be tricky. Juushiro was a member of the Guard, after all. But how could the invaders know that? He was on vacation, at most Juushiro might have brought a personal weapon.

"Yes… oh, there's a pay phone." Starrk said distractedly and Shunsui used his tentacles to drop down. It was very easy, he just rested a pink tentacle onto the ground and lowered himself. "Damn!" It was only a broken shell. "We need to go further." He muttered as he used the tentacle to go back up. There was no pressure in his back. A ghoul's body was meant to use the tentacles this way.

"Man. Why didn't he tell us where he was staying?" Lilinette groused and Shunsui grimaced. That had been an oversight but then, how could they have anticipated this? "I need to start sleeping with my cell phone."

"Wouldn't have helped. I even lost my pillow in that mess." Starrk said and Lilinette laughed. "Ah… is that a mall?" They all looked to see the building he had spotted. They were well out of their neighborhood, now, travelling very fast with tentacles to move them along.

"You're thinking we can break in?" Shunsui guessed. There would certainly be many phones there. Starrk nodded and they swung down –

Just in time for a tank to turn the corner, heading directly at them. The gun moved, searching for targets and they made their tentacles vanish before ducking behind a bus shelter. Although, they were obviously civilians. A tank crew would hardly be interested –

Then Starrk went completely insane, leaping into the street. Shunsui watched in absolute shock as tentacles shot out. One wrapped around the gun of the tank, twirling around it before yanking it sharply to the side. The powerful machinery could not resist the supernatural strength of the ghoul. A shot went off, though, right into a nearby building. Then Starrk growled and Shunsui's eyes widened as he saw literally a half dozen tentacles flow out of the elder ghoul's back. He hadn't been aware Starrk had that many… and while he'd guessed they were strong he'd never guessed how strong.

"Holy shit!" Lilinette gasped in his ear and Shunsui could only nod as Starrk lifted the tank with his tentacles. Then, to his further shock, the elder ghoul threw it at another tank just turning the corner. The tank went end over end and hit the other one with a brutal sound of rending metal. Then Starrk was suddenly beside them, holding – what?

"Oh." Shunsui suddenly realized why Starrk had lost his mind. He was holding a teenage boy with bright orange hair. The young man was semi-conscious and there was blood trailing down his face. "Let's get into the mall." That would give them some cover and it would be some time before the invaders figured out exactly what had happened to those two tanks.

"Right!" Lilinette led the way, slicing through the locks with her tentacles then prying them open with simple force. Starrk and Shunsui both followed, the boy over Starrk's shoulder. "Hey, there's a pay phone!" She said and Shunsui immediately went to it before realizing that he had no money.

"Damn it… does that boy have any cash on him?" He asked. They were all in pajamas but the stranger was probably an early riser. He was fully dressed. Starrk rifled through his clothing and found a wallet.

"Kurosaki Ichigo… really? I know him… ah, here's a few dollars." Starrk tossed the change to him and Shunsui caught it. He vaguely heard Lilinette questioning but he was too busy calling Juu's cell phone to care.

Shunsui? Juushiro's voice sounded blurry with sleep and Shunsui couldn't help but smile. Juushiro had always been a very sound sleeper. What is it? What's wrong? He sounded more alert.

"Everything?" Shunsui said and winced as there was another explosion. "Juu, we're being bombed, there's tanks in the streets and you're still in bed. Where the hell are you?" He asked severely and there was a sharp intake of breath from his friend.

Just a moment… right. 1289 September Avenue. Shunsui tried to memorize that. He had nothing to write it down with. It's on the highway out of town. Are you going to try to leave?

"Yes, we'll have to." He said grimly. After the tank incident they would have to go. It was quite likely some of the tank crews had survived and there might also be black boxes in the tanks that had recorded what had happened. They would be looking for Starrk now. "I need to let you go. Wait for us." Juushiro's rental car… although how badly were the roads gridlocked? They would have to see.

When he got off the phone, Shunsui saw that the young man was fully awake and speaking to Starrk. The elder ghoul looked up at him with a small smile.

"This is Kurosaki Ichigo. He's the son of Kurosaki Isshin, one of the doctors at the hospital." He introduced the boy, who gave them a tentative smile.

"We should get moving." Shunsui said, seeing Starrk's reluctance. He didn't want to leave the boy but they needed to get out of here. Those tanks… they would definitely be a target now. Speaking of which. "You should get out of here too." He wouldn't be surprised if the invaders reduced this mall to rubble. In fact, did he hear a plane? A ghoul's enhanced hearing was definitely very useful. Starrk and Lilinette both heard it too.

"Uh oh. C'mon!" Lilinette headed out the door and they followed, Starrk pulling along the Kurosaki boy. And not a moment too soon as a bomb landed on the roof of the mall. Debris went flying and Starrk used a tentacle to shield the young man in his grasp, broadening it like a lily pad. Shunsui mentally noted that he had plenty to learn. He didn't know how to manipulate his own tentacles that way.

"Wait, what was that…?" Ichigo asked but Starrk ignored him, just pulling him along as they went for better cover. "H-Hey!" A red tentacle went around the young man as Starrk pushed himself up to a roof, Shunsui and Lilinette following him. "What ARE you?"

"It's nothing to worry about." Starrk said as they kept moving. "Would your father be at the hospital? We should pass by it." Shunsui nodded. He knew the city quite well by now and that would be along their way, thankfully.

"I – yes, he would be. But what are you?" Ichigo was sounding scared. Lilinette made a face at him.

"OI! Who cares about that?! Worry about the tanks and shit!" She said and Shunsui saw Starrk sigh.

"I suppose it doesn't matter… we are ghouls." He said and Ichigo stiffened, fear flashing across his face. "Do not be distressed. We will not harm you and the hospital will likely be safe. Armies hesitate to target such things." Assaulting hospitals was guaranteed to inspire the ire of the international community. Also, it was a waste of munitions.

"But… ghouls… don't you eat people…?" Ichigo said before suddenly frowning. Shunsui was afraid he was connecting the dots and realizing why Starrk might be employed at a hospital. If so, though, there wasn't much they could do about it. Starrk wasn't about to kill the young man and he'd surely mention them to the authorities. Although, which authorities? If it was the invading ones it might not matter much…

"We don't hurt anyone and Starrk saved your life. Please, could you not mention us to anyone?" He asked, not having high hopes. Ichigo didn't say anything and Shunsui grimaced to himself. They might have to leave the country if the hospitals started installing more cameras or worse, setting traps for them.

It didn't take too long for them to reach the hospital, when they were using their ghoul tentacles to move. Shunsui wasn't sure what their maximum speed was with those but it was very fast. Starrk gently set Ichigo down in front of the hospital before they continued on their way. Many people saw them there but it really didn't matter. They needed to keep moving…

A rocket impacted very close to them, slamming into a building and making Shunsui grimace. Glancing at Starrk, he saw the elder ghoul was forming more of those lily-pad tentacles in an effort to shield them. Vaguely, he wondered how well they would hold up. 'Not very' was his guess.

"Holy… are they shooting at US?" Lilinette asked, her eyes wide and Shunsui answered.

"Yes, I'm sure they are. It's too bad our tentacles are practically neon." They almost glowed. Even in daylight, they were noticeable. Starrk groaned.

"Yes, I've always hated that…" They swung to the ground again and let their tentacles dissipate before sprinting along the ground. They were several blocks from Juushiro's. Hopefully, that would confuse the rockets a little. They looked like ordinary civilians, without the tentacles.

"Shunsui!" Juushiro was waiting for them in the lobby. "Have you been listening to the news?" He asked and Shunsui shook his head.

"We lost our cell phones. What's been happening?" He asked and Juushiro was able to quickly fill them in. As they'd feared, it was a general offensive against several targets and the country was officially at war. "Shit. Juushiro, Starrk saved a boy from a tank…" He quickly detailed the situation and Juushiro winced. "We have to get out of here but our tentacles are attracting too much attention. Are the trains running?"

"Yes, and as a member of the Guard on vacation I should be able to get us a priority spot." He said and Shunsui felt a great relief. "The whole thing is a bit of a disaster though. We'll have to hope we can make it." He sounded grim and Shunsui was sure it was justified.

"What about the sewers?" Lilinette butted in and Starrk frowned thoughtfully. "We could move fast there and Starrk's been mapping them out!"

"Not so far out of our neighborhood. We would have to depend on our native sense of direction. Our sense of smell would be useless in these circumstances." Starrk sounded pessimistic. "It might be more practical to simply run, carrying Juushiro on our backs. A ghoul's running pace is faster than a humans."

"And we can run forever." Lilinette added. "It's gridlock out there, the car's no good." The tanks had absolutely destroyed the traffic. "You know the way to the train station?" She asked Juushiro, who nodded.

"Yes, let's do that." He said decisively and soon they were piling out of the hotel. Shunsui carried Juushiro and they took off at a run, constrained only by the pace Lilinette could manage. She was held back by her shorter legs. It took almost two strides for her to match one of Starrk's.

They made it to the train station to find it was an absolute disaster. Too many people were trying to crowd their way only the train, held back by members of the Guard. That situation was close to turning ugly and unfortunately, they couldn't help anyone, even themselves. Or so he thought.

"Damn it. I hate to do this but…" Starrk's low words were the only warning he had before the ghoul acted. Red tentacles, blunt yet very strong, swept out and forced people back from the line of Guard. The men and women in uniform didn't recognize the power helping them, thankfully, so they were startled and wary but grateful to have the pressure relieved. The civilians were surprised and many were afraid of the sudden alien power, particularly when Lilinette brought out her tentacles and began slapping people who tried to duck through Starrk's tendrils. Shunsui brought out his tentacles, helping the two ghouls keep the crowd under control. As they worked, Juushiro talked to the person in charge of securing the train tracks. He vaguely heard him telling them some balderdash about them being a special, supernatural force. There were rumors about such things, though, and he seemed to buying it.

"Our tentacles are so bright as a natural coloring." Starrk answered a question one of the men posed and Shunsui blinked. He hadn't known that. "Like a poisonous creature, warning away enemies. There is no way to dim them, sadly, although some of our kind are blessed with darker colors."

"We can't send you on at the moment. The trains are full." The man in charge said firmly and Shunsui glanced at him, realizing that he had a reasonably high rank. "But if you help us out we'll send you on when we pull out." That… was not so good. The longer they stayed the better chance that someone would realize they didn't belong. Juushiro tried to object, but the man was looking very stubborn. Shunsui didn't think it was going to go well.

"We will help." Starrk's voice cut in and Shunsui frowned at him. "Let me know when the next train is ready. How will I let people through?" He asked and Shunsui blinked as he realized the elder ghoul seemed to know what he was doing. Lilinette hissed at him softly.

"Starrk?" She asked and he replied, just as quietly.

"They will not let us go if we do not help. I would not, in their place, and we cannot force our way onto the train without raising suspicions. It is best to stay." He said and Shunsui wanted to point out the problems. But…

"He's right. They would realize we're lying, if we try to pull rank." He said softly. "A few field link calls and they would know. They won't ask as long as we're useful." The man in charge wouldn't cause problems with a putative ally, but if they tried to force their way on the train, well… "Hopefully there won't be a strike." But this area was being held. It wasn't a total route, there was fierce fighting happening in the city.

Things went reasonably smoothly, after that. Starrk helped them prioritize the evacuees, getting out the children, mothers and pregnant women first. Each train was packed to the gills before it pulled out, removing more and more civilians from the area. And more trains kept arriving. It seemed the invaders were not interfering with the evacuation efforts. But then, why would they? The pointless massacre of innocents was generally something to be avoided.

They were allowed to go on one of the very last trains. The sense of relief was palpable as they pulled out from the station, heading deeper into the country.

"Wow, that was something else, hey Starrk?" Lilinette said and he nodded, looking fatigued. Shunsui felt a bit tired too. Keeping their tentacles out for long periods was draining and unfortunately, the train was standing room only. That was going to get interesting given that it was a several day trip to the nearest safe area. Shunsui rubbed his forehead at the thought and blinked as he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Juushiro asked quietly and Shunsui managed a smile for his friend.

"I'm fine. Just thinking about how we'll sleep." He said lightly and Juushiro winced at the thought. "We'll survive, I suppose." Not happily, perhaps, but they would survive. That was more than could be said if they'd remained. Someone had been quite upset about those tanks, it seemed. He mentioned that and then Starrk surprised him.

"I feel a bit badly about that. Not about saving the Kurosaki boy, but destroying the tanks like that… it was a moment of anger." Starrk rubbed his face and Lilinette spoke.

"Because it got us in trouble?" She asked and he shook his head.

"Not exactly. Once, almost fifty years ago, I was taught how to drive a tank." He said and Shunsui wondered how in hell that had happened. "I was conscripted, before I managed to escape… my refusal to eat was becoming noticeable. But the tank… it was so hard to see things around me. I do not know how much technology has improved but I doubt the person operating it had any idea he was there."

"Oh." Shunsui nodded. Ichigo had been flat on the ground, hit by a piece of debris. Had the tank even seen him? Possibly not. "You shouldn't blame yourself. Even if the tank crew didn't know he was there, they would have fired on you." Starrk couldn't have rescued Ichigo without his tentacles and they were very supernatural in nature. The tank was sure to have taken exception. Starrk nodded, a touch sadly.

"Yes, you are right. And I could not just let him die…" Starrk sounded tired and Shunsui reached over to grip his shoulder. The elder ghoul smiled at him and Shunsui felt warmed by the expression. For one crazy moment, he wanted to kiss Starrk. He held himself back. That really wasn't the sort of thing you did in public, in a seriously crowded train.

"He's a remarkable man, isn't he?" Juushiro whispered to him after a while, when Starrk was chatting with Lilinette. Shunsui nodded before replying, just as quietly. Starrk would be able to hear, of course, but it was likely he was paying too much attention to his young protégé to really listen.

"He's amazing Juu. I think I'm in love." His best friend gave him an amused glance that Shunsui could easily interpret. "Really! I mean it!"

"You always mean it. But he actually is remarkable, like Lisa." Juushiro's voice held sorrow and Shunsui flinched a little at the reminder. Lisa had been his girlfriend perhaps three years ago. A fellow member of the guard, she'd died in the line of duty only a month after they'd become engaged. It had been an incredibly painful loss and for a while, he'd been very nearly suicidal. Only Juushiro had pulled him through. "I think this really might last." Juushiro said with a small smile and Shunsui appreciated that. Juu had thought Lisa was perfect for him, too, so that was a very good sign for the future.

"At least he probably won't die on me." He said very softly, glancing at Starrk. The elder ghoul was just looking away now, his face calm and peaceful as he held Lilinette close. She was leaning against him, tired by the excitement of the day. "I hope." He was all too aware of the fragility of life and as Starrk had pointed out so many times, they were ghouls, not immortal or invulnerable.

"I'm sure you'll have a long time together." Juushiro sounded a bit melancholy and Shunsui knew why. He was trying to find someone to share his life with but he had more trouble finding dates. He just wasn't the same kind of outgoing person he was. Shunsui thought that he would find the right person sooner or later, it would just take longer.

The next two days were very unpleasant. They managed to catch a few catnaps and the less said about the sanitation arrangements, the better. There was very little food and just barely enough water. By the time they arrived at a makeshift refugee camp, everyone was famished except the ghouls. Fortunately they did not eat like humans and a short fast was nothing to them. Their need to feed wouldn't become urgent for at least a few more days. Still, when they arrived everyone was exhausted.

That was probably why they were caught completely off guard exiting the train. Starrk was rubbing his face with fatigue when there was a sharp twang sound. Shunsui saw his eyes go wide and flash to red and black, but the elder ghoul didn't even get a tentacle out before steely wires whipped around him and sent him to the ground.

"STARRK NO!" Shunsui froze, very briefly, at the sound of Lilinette's scream. Then he reacted as he saw a man aiming something at him. Juushiro was standing right beside him and if that was one of the 'net guns' Starrk had described, it would be crippling or even lethal to a human. He shoved his best friend away just before another twang split the air. He was vaguely aware of the refugees screaming and Juushiro's wide eyes as the thick wires went around his whole body, sending him to the ground. They bit deep into his skin and the pain was every bit as agonizing as Starrk had said. "SHUNSUI!" He grunted, trying to extend his tentacles. But it was every bit as hopeless as he'd been told. He couldn't force them out between the wires.

"Lili… nette… run…!" Starrk's voice was raspy and Shunsui gasped, struggling to breathe. The net was so tight it was constricting his chest. "No… you can't…!" He lifted his head to see that Lilinette's tentacles were out and she was trying to free Starrk, sobbing wildly. Her tentacles raised sparks but did not penetrate – what were these wires? – and then she had to leap back as another net almost hit her. "Run!"

"NO! NOT GONNA!" Then Lilinette was turning on their enemies, her teeth bared in a snarl as she sent her tentacles out. Yet, she was not really trying to kill, just keep them away. "LEAVE THEM ALONE YOU BASTARDS! AHHHH!" Then a net caught her and Shunsui bit his lip, watching as her tentacles sawed at it from inside. She'd had them out which gave her an advantage but they weren't penetrating.

"Anzud ya toma." Starrk's voice seemed to echo and Starrk saw red and black power flare around him. Wires parted with a sharp sound and he suddenly realized that the nets were magical in nature. No wonder the ghouls couldn't part them… but Starrk knew magic, and powerful magic to boot. Great wings of force were forming behind him as he tore through the bindings. Starrk was trying to stand, forcing himself up as he shed the wires. "Anzud ya – "

Shunsui's eyes widened in horror as he heard the bang of a large caliber weapon. Blood exploded from Starrk's chest and he saw black and red drain away into grey before Starrk's eyes rolled back in his head. The wings shattered like glass as the ghoul hit the ground and he stared at the spreading pool of blood. Then he heard Urahara's voice.

"Take them all into custody." He sounded very calm as he walked up to Starrk and Shunsui wanted to curse him as he looked down at the stricken ghoul. Kisuke's gaze was completely calm, just examining Starrk like he was vaguely interesting. "Get a medic for this one." He said and Shunsui's heart lurched. Starrk was still alive? Although that might not be a mercy…

"This one as well?" Shunsui looked over and swallowed as he saw Juushiro was being held at gunpoint. Shocked brown eyes met his and he read the wordless apology in his friends' face, the guilt directed at himself.

"Yes. Put him under arrest." Urahara ordered and soon Juushiro was in cuffs. The rest of them were bundled off, after Lilinette was tranquilized with something. As she fell into unconsciousness, her tentacles vanished and the wires were tightened around her. Shunsui tested his net but found there was no give to it, and trying to escape was incredibly painful. Giving up for the moment, he stayed alert as they were dumped in an armored car. Starrk was there too, and he was treated to the bubbling, gasping sound of his breathing. If he'd heard a human sounding like that he'd have thought they were dying. But ghouls were more durable and it was possible Starrk would pull through. Shunsui closed his eyes for a moment and silently prayed.

He didn't believe in God much, but he was willing to pray that things would not be as bad as Starrk had described.


End file.
